Playing with Chaos
by NightEnchanted
Summary: When Nico befriends an alleged daughter of Chaos, things can only lead to trouble. The situation only grows worse when the gods decide to show up for a visit, bringing with them a new, dangerous way to test their children's strengths and skills.
1. An Uncivilized First Impression

Disclaimer: I don't own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_, only the things I create like characters and such.

* * *

><p>Nico sighed and continued to stare at the ceiling of his newly finished cabin. After the Second Titan War ended, things at camp had improved for the most part. Half-bloods were being claimed, more minor gods were given respect, and cabins were being built for them too. Things also returned to the way they were before behavior wise, including the Ares cabin performing their 'initiation ceremony' and the Aphrodite girls flirting with each guy that came into their line of vision. Overall, everything was pretty good.<p>

Except for Nico…

In a perfect world, you'd think that after all that had happened, him getting his dad to help during the battle and everything, Nico would get some respect and acceptance. In a perfect world, he'd be looked up too and admired, not feared and shunned by his peers. In a perfect world, Nico would have too many friends to count. In a perfect world, he might even have a few fan girls.

However, my readers, this is not a perfect world, or there would be no reason for me to write this story.

People still kept their distance whenever he was around; as if they were afraid being near him would kill them. Campers would either give him a look of disgust of fear whenever he introduced himself for the first time. Acceptance still lacked in his life, if fact it seemed worse than before. Maybe it had something to do with all the dead he had summoned during the battle, or perhaps it was all because of his parentage. Nico never blamed Hades once, it wasn't like either of them could do anything about their situations. It just wasn't fair the way others treated them.

They had done their part in the war and all. Yet Nico still wasn't given any proper recognition and Hades still didn't have a throne. People still treated them as if nothing ever happened.

Ungrateful things that they were…

But, Nico had promised Percy that he would refrain from holding grudges. And despite what people thought about, him he always kept his word. Not that he had his word to give to anyone. It wasn't like there was anyone here who he actually liked enough to promise anything and he didn't exactly have friends besides Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Rachel, and a small handful of other rejects.

Even that was pushing it.

Percy and Annabeth had grown more distant due to their infatuation with one another (which, by the way, Nico found downright nasty) and their many other assortments of friends. Thalia and Raechel had always been more of acquaintances really; he never really saw either of them anyway.

The other handful of rejects was more like true friends that a person wanted. Even if their companionship was random at most, Nico was happy (and almost grateful) for their company.

Deciding that sitting around doing nothing was boring; Nico left his cabin to go for a walk. It was almost nightfall, with the last orange and red rays of the sun poking out from below the horizon. He knew that most campers would be at the campfire singing songs and roasting marshmallows. That was most certainly where he wouldn't be going. Nobody would really want him there and he didn't sing.

...

Apollo campers sing. Little birds sing. Nico's don't sing...at least not in public.

...

Thus he made his way to the woods. Now there was probably a rule against this and most people would find it crazy, but Nico enjoyed being in the woods at night. He'd always felt more alive at night and in darker places, always stronger around shadows. And since night was practically one big shadow looming over the land, it only made sense he felt energized when the sun went down.

As dark shapes and outlines began to stretch across the ground and trees, Nico felt relaxed. Only a truly stupid or horribly curious person would follow him now. He fought best when the terrain was to his favor, just like Percy with the sea and the Hunters under a full moon.

Earlier that day, he'd almost gotten beat up by a couple of other campers…again. Demigods here found amusement in tormenting Nico, catching and beating the snot out of him was like some sort of sport to them. At least, that's how it seemed. Annabeth had explained how they were just scared of him and how people did terrible and cruel things out of fear. He'd had doubts about her statement, but decided not to think about it because all he knew was that if he made any indication that his harassers were scared of him to their faces all he'd accomplish would be getting another busted lip.

He decided now would be a good time to cool down after what happened that morning, and what better place to do so than somewhere dark and intimidating…

…

Alright, so maybe there were a couple of better places, but that's beside the point.

…

By now, Nico had gone deeper into the forest than any other half-blood would have dared to go at this time. He sat down at the base of a tree and looked up at the sky. It was his best strategy to clear his thoughts by simply telling himself the stories of the constellations he could see. His eyes first fell on Andromeda, which just happened to be his favorite.

The story about how her own parents sacrificed her to get themselves out of trouble, Perseus rescuing her, and then both of them going off to live happily ever after always intrigued him. It was his favorite constellation and story because of the fact that at least one hero got, in a way, a happy ending. He'd never been one for love stories, but he always made an exception for this one in particular.

…

A sudden low snap that echoed though the silence grabbed his attention. The same feeling he got when he could tell when a living or dead soul was near overcame him.

This soul was definitely living and Nico was no longer alone. Whoever it was had a powerful aura to them, like the Percy, Thalia, and a select few others.

His first thought was that an Ares camper had followed him. Nico stood up as quietly as possible and drew his sword. He was tired of getting jumped and now he had the advantage.

Silently, he crept in the direction of the person, willing the shadows to make him practically invisible. Nico didn't like being disturbed and this person was no exception. Unlike what everyone thought, Nico wasn't some frail, skinny kid. True, he was thinner than what would be considered healthy, but he was the complete opposite of weak. Since he could raise the dead, Nico would summon some of the greatest sword fighters to teach him. Occasionally, he would raise souls who had been martial artists and specialists in other areas of weaponry when alive. It came in handy when he needed to learn self-defense or when he just didn't want to train with everyone else and learn the same old stuff.

By now he could make the faint outline of a person, every movement they made was calculated and thought through. It was a girl, too small to be a daughter of Ares and too silent for Apollo; Hermes or Athena, maybe? But why would she be out here?

By the time he got about 15 feet away, the girl stopped. And she didn't just stop, she literally froze. Before Nico had time to wonder why she had come to a halt, she whipped around and drew a long pointed…something…out of what seemed to be thin air. He held his breath, just now realizing that she knew he was there.

Nico sank deeper into the shadows, slightly unsettled by her current stance. She was crouched down, leaning more onto her right leg, slowly looking around with her weapon held behind her back to the point where her posture looked like something out of an action movie. Her eyes fell on Nico and before he knew it he'd been knocked to the ground.

…

His sword had been knocked out of his hand and her shoe was pressed down hard on top of his chest. The pointed tip of her weapon was hovering above his throat. He made a feeble attempt to get away, only to have her foot push down harder.

"Why are you following me?" Her voice was smooth and silky, and that surprised him, because the tone was anything but. The hostility and irritation behind it alarmed him.

When Nico didn't respond she prodded the sharp end of the weapon on his neck and repeated her question, a bit more loudly this time.

"I-I'm sorry," he said as best he could with her weight atop him, "I thought you were somebody else."

It was the truth, even though in his current position it sounded pathetic. There was no way she would believe him.

To Nico's shock she lifted her foot and backed off, removing the tip of her staff like weapon from his throat. It glowed and morphed into a shape around her lower arm. When the glowing stopped, it revealed a long wrist cuff. The girl offered a hand to Nico and he took it. He stood up, took a few paces back, and looked the girl up and down.

She was about his height, maybe an inch or two shorter, with a thin yet muscular build. Her hair was short and pulled into a ponytail. She wore a simple white shirt and jeans with tears in them, both were too big on her frame. She had a shoulder pack that appeared to be overstuffed. Her face was thin and held a tired look. Her eyes were a striking blue and the color shone even though it was extremely dark.

"I'm sorry," Nico was torn from his thoughts when he realized she was talking to him. "You know, for tackling you and all."

She looked at the ground and shifted her weight from foot to foot. It was obvious she was a bit embarrassed by her actions, he would be too. Who wouldn't be after almost killing someone?

"It's just," she continued, "one tends to be a bit jumpy after being chased by monsters for the past…however long I've been trying to get here."

She suddenly looked up at him straight in the eye, "I made it, right?"

"Made it where?"

The girl sighed, sat down on a nearby rock, took out a long strip of cloth from her pack, and then began to examine her left leg, "To Camp Half-blood, the place where heroes train and stuff. I've heard it's a safe-haven for people like me."

"Yeah, this is Camp Half-blood." Nico gave her a look, "You're a demigod?"

"Sure."

…

He blinked, trying to decide if she was telling the truth or not. She must be a half-blood, or she wouldn't have been able to get past the border in the first place. Then again, the way she said 'sure' made it sound like she knew something he didn't.

Nico looked down to where she was prodding her leg. There, on the outside of her calf, was a thick, long gash. Even in the solid darkness, he could see that the wound was bad. Whatever had caused it had torn her pants and the bleeding had soiled the fabric surrounding it.

"Here," he said walking over, "let me help you." It was the least he could do for startling her like he did.

When Nico got on his knees to see how much damage had been done, Mystery Girl recoiled. She began to look him up and down with a wary expression. Nico sighed; apparently she was going to be one of those who were afraid of him.

"I don't bite." Nico held his hand out, gesturing for the girl to give him the bandages.

She slowly uncoiled from her retracted position and handed Nico the strip of gauze.

"Thanks…" She said quietly, looking down, slightly uncomfortable.

He rolled up her pant leg and began to wrap the wound, being careful not to touch it. He hadn't washed his hands or anything before tending to the cut, and he didn't want to infect it. There was a possibility it already was, but Nico wasn't risking anything.

"How did you get in here exactly?" Nico was now curious, mostly because she had earlier given the impression she had something to hide.

"I walked."

He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow, "You walked?"

"Yes, I walked. The same way almost everyone else here gets through the border."

"No, I mean how you got here, to the camp." Nico finished wrapping the injury and tied it off.

"Oh," she said while standing up, testing out her leg, and beginning to walk in the direction of the Big House, "that is my business."

Nico sighed and began to follow her. "Where are you going?"

"In the direction of the smoke" the girl said while pointing to where he could see it rising into the sky, "smoke means fire and fire usually means civilization. Hopefully, the people there can help me."

"Hey!" Nico exclaimed in mock offense, "I've helped you, but you think I'm not civilized?"

The girl giggled, a tinkling kind of sound, and Nico couldn't help but crack a small smile. But as soon as he did, he felt it disappear. He almost couldn't believe he'd made a girl giggle, but now he was **smiling**?

He'd obviously cleared his head too much.

The girl stopped walking and turned around to where she was looking directly at him.

"My name is Celeste," she held out her hand and grinned, revealing a set of perfectly straight teeth.

Nico returned her smile with a small one of his own and shook her outstretched hand, "I'm Nico. Nico di Angelo.

They dropped both their hands and Celeste turned back around and continued walking.

"So," she said without turning back around or slowing down, "now that I'm here what do I do? Do I sign in or something? Or is there someone I can talk to?"

"You should probably talk to Chiron," Nico replied, "he's kind of in charge around here. I guess Mr. D is really in charge, he doesn't act like it though, but you don't want to talk to him. He's only here because of a punishment and he spends most of that time trying to make our lives miserable."

"You obviously know a lot about this place. Do you live here?"

"Only during the summer, the rest of the year I go to school and such. Once summer begins, that's when most of us half-bloods come here. The rest live here year round."

"Where do you live outside of here then?" Celeste asked, looking over her shoulder.

Nico gave her a smirk, "That's my business."

Celeste gave him a look, but that quickly turned into a sassy grin, "Using my own words against me now, are you?"

Nico's smirk grew and Celeste turned her head back around and kept walking.

"I never did get where you're from," Nico hoped to get something out of her now that he had her guard down.

"Now Nico, unless you tell me something of your business I won't tell you something of my business and vice versa. But let me tell you, I don't plan on spilling any information about myself first anytime soon."

His smirk morphed into a scowl. Celeste looked back and gave him a grin similar to his own. Nico huffed and the two continued on in silence. When they reached the outskirts of the woods, Celeste stopped and looked around.

"It's nicer than I expected," she said in almost a whisper.

"Yeah, well, the camp itself is nice. It's the people you have to worry about."

"Meaning...?"

"Let's just say that here; most of your stereotypes are true." His answer came out a bit more bitter than he expected and Celeste must have sensed it because she stopped asking questions.

Nico shoved his hands into his pockets and trudged his way up to the Big House. He went through the doors and made his way over to the table where Chiron and Mr. D were playing some card game.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you how to knock?" was the first thing Mr. D said to him. He took another sip from his Diet Coke and didn't even bother to look at Nico let alone his general direction.

"Ah, Nico, to what do we owe this visit?" Chiron stated, a bit friendlier with his greeting. His eyes narrowed and seemed to focus on something behind him. "Might I ask who your friend is?"

Nico had forgotten that Celeste was behind him. "Oh, right. Chiron this is - ."

He stopped. It wasn't until now he had gotten a _really good_ look Celeste. And even though he would latter hate to admit it, he was startled.

To start things off, her skin was white. Not pale like his, but more of a vibrant hue, smooth and flawless. It reminded him of stone; Alabaster stone. The fact that her eyes were a striking blue didn't help either. The contrast between skin and eyes was disturbing. Celeste's eye color seemed to pulse and swirl with an effect that would make any person think of fire.

Now that wouldn't have been so bad if she had blonde hair. The problem was her hair wasn't blonde, it was white. And not albino white either, but a shiny, silvery white. It made her hard to look at because of the brightness. Celeste had a nice face: high cheekbones, full lips, straight teeth and a small, slightly upturned nose were all present features. That is, if you could make them out since she was so pale.

Celeste, seeing that Nico was currently preoccupied, decided to help him out a bit. She gave him a sharp nudge in the shin with her foot to break him out of his daze.

Nico felt a sharp pain on his leg, which made him realize that he had been staring. He sent a quick glare Celeste's way before continuing, "Uh, this is Celeste."

Chiron blinked, he too was dazed by Celeste's appearance, but he regained his composure much faster than Nico did and smiled at the newcomer, "Welcome, child, it is very nice to make your acquaintance."

Celeste grinned back at Chiron, "It's nice to meet you too, sir."

"Please, you can just call me Chiron."

Nico noticed Celeste seemed to perk up at his name, her eyes flashed as if loads of knowledge passed through her brain at one time.

"You're _Chiron_, as in _the_ Chiron," Celeste questioned, her eyes wide, "the trainer of heroes?"

Chiron smiled, "Ah, it seems someone knows their mythology."

Mr. D looked up from his cards and gave a look at Celeste, "She knows who you are, so what?"

Celeste turned her attention from Chiron to Mr. D. Her smile turned into a smirk and her eyes held a glint of annoyance. "You're Dionysus, the god of wine."

Mr. D just huffed and turned his attention back to the game, all the while grumbling about 'know-it-all illegitimate spawn'.

Celeste just rolled her eyes and leaned toward Nico's ear. "You know, for a god I was expecting someone a bit more…impressive."

Mr. D's head snapped up to give Celeste an evil glare, his eyes burning a dangerous purple hue. He opened his mouth, probably to curse her, but before he could say anything, Chiron interrupted him.

"Now, Mr. D, I won't have you smiting any of our newcomers," Chiron gave Mr. D a look that said 'behave yourself' and the god said nothing. The centaur then turned his attention to Celeste, "Child, I think it best if you remember who you're talking too."

Celeste hung her head, "I'm sorry."

Chiron just sighed and wheeled his chair over to the pair, "If you'll follow me Celeste, there is an orientation video I need to show you."

With that, Chiron exited the room. Celeste turned to Nico with a confused expression, "Orientation video?"

"Oh, that, it's basically just a film explaining who you are and where you are," Nico explained to her as best he could, "it's really boring, actually."

Celeste nodded and turned to follow Chiron. Before leaving, she turned to Nico with a hopeful expression.

"D-do you think you could show me around some tomorrow. I have no idea where everything is and I don't know anyone."

Nico was shocked. Nobody had ever asked to be with him, let alone **around** him.

"Uh…sure," was all he was able to say to that.

Celeste's frown turned into a joyful smile, "Really? Oh, thank you!"

Nico opened his mouth to say it was nothing, but Celeste turned around and bolted through the door Chiron had left through.

Nico opened the door to leave, but the god of wine wasn't done yet.

"Just wait," Mr. D said, "when she finds out who you are, she'll want nothing to do with you. Or maybe she'll be another one of those freaks who are your friends, who knows."

Nico froze in the doorway. What if Mr. D, annoying god that he is, was right? What if Celeste really wouldn't want anything to do with him? She had the potential to be a nice acquaintance, maybe even a friend. He didn't want to blow it all because of his lineage. Every other time he first introduced himself and people asked who his godly parent was, when he told them they'd either look at him with fear or disgust.

…

He made the decision right then and there to keep his parentage a secret as long as he could. What Celeste didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

…

The son of Hades left, slamming the door shut on his way out. He made his way to his cabin, brooding the entire way. Whether Celeste wanted to be his friend or not, Nico knew he'd find out sooner than he wanted.

…

…

…

Far away, so far away that we can't even begin to tell you how long it would take to get there; Nico di Angelo was being watched.

"She should stay away from him!" A woman, with blonde hair and cold green eyes, paced back in forth on the marble flooring, "He'll end up being a bad influence on her, I just know it!"

The hall, which was grand and adorned with symbols of power and prestige, currently served as the meeting place for a multitude of great beings. However, the only thing that really stood out at this moment was the arguing that was coming from it.

"Oh, calm down Rin," another woman, this one with pretty brown hair and hazel eyes, turned from the glowing image in front of them to look at her fellow deity, "he seems like a perfectly nice young man."

"I agree with Elfleda. Why do you care so much about the girl now anyway? You've never shown the smallest fraction of concern for her anyway, Rin." The man brushed some of his white hair out his gray eyes. He was tired of Rin's constant whining.

"I care, Rangi, because I don't want that burden you call a girl to have her mind corrupted by that juvenile delinquent of a boy. He's too much like his father: crafty, manipulative, greedy, and heartless!"

Shouts of protest filled the hall and it was amazing that no windows had shattered yet.

"Hades is a good man and you know it! He has been loyal to us as long as we have known him and he was one of the child's father's best friends!" Rangi stood up from his seat, anger rolling off of him in waves.

"She's only mad because if a friendship forms between the two, it would increase the chances of a _certain someone _coming back." Tlaloc, in all his earthen glory, crossed his arms over his chest and slouched lower into his throne, "And we all know how much Rin hates it when someone is more powerful that she is."

…

Rin turned to the Lord of the Lands, eyes screaming murder. Before things could get ugly, a bright flash burned above the largest and most decorated throne of all. Another followed that one, only this time over a simpler throne crafted from opal and adorned with nacre along the arched headrest. By the time the light faded, every person in the room was in a bowing position toward the biggest throne. A woman stood in front of the seat of power. She made a gesture of her hand which motioned everyone to sit down.

"How is our little prodigy?" The woman spoke with a soft and gentle voice. Rin snorted at 'prodigy' and the woman who'd appeared on the opal throne glared at her.

"She made it to the camp, just as you predicted my queen." She turned in her multicolored throne to where she was looking directly at her ruler, "Things are playing out just as we planned."

The queen just nodded, her attention was fixed on the image in front of her: the small, dark boy who had unintentionally and unknowingly become a part of her grand scheme.

…

…

_Well, what do you think? Please review or critique, and I'll do my best to become a better writer._


	2. Crayola Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_, only my original creations.

Carmen Grant trudged her way over to the Mess Hall for the start of another boring day. If her life wasn't predictable, she didn't know what was. She knew what was going, when it was going to happen, and who was gonna do it.

For example: sometime during her archery lesson with Nico and Bonnie, Stacey from the Aphrodite cabin and her little cronies would mock her and her friends whenever they missed (which happened a lot with Bonnie); later, everyone in her sword fighting class would try to chop of her limbs, just because of her choice in friends and that she posed the threat of being a better fighter than some of them; then finally, at the end of the day, her siblings would nag her about her choice in friendships until it was lights out.

…

When Carmen thought about it, this was how it was _every day._

…

She grudgingly slid into the bench at her cabin's table, not really hungry for the lavish breakfast that had been prepared. After Mr. D made the announcements and offerings had been given, Carmen chewed on a muffin and spent most of her time thinking instead of taking part in any of the conversations going on around her.

Her eyes scanned the around the room, occasionally stopping on the people she would consider friends.

…

First there was Terence Jewell, a son of Hermes, who everybody called Terry. He knew not only how to steal like a professional, but he was also organized like one. Terry could get you anything, anytime, from any place…as long as it wasn't heavily guarded like a museum. He's not _that _good.

The only problem was that he didn't like to steal. _A son of Hermes doesn't like to steal! _You may think this at this very moment. People would say this and Carmen would tell them that if they had a problem with it, get over it. This would earn her some glares, but she didn't care. Those people meant nothing to her and probably never would. So she didn't care what they thought of her.

Terence, however, did have a problem with this. Being alone in a cabin full of people would bother most campers, Terence was one of them. He felt awkward around his siblings because they never really acknowledged him. The Hermes Cabin members were really close to one another, so this just made it worse for him.

…

Terry caught Carmen looking at him and flashed a toothy grin and a wave at her. Carmen gave a small smile and Terry turned back to his the person sitting next to him. Carmen let her gaze roam for a bit until she realized something…

…

Terry was actually talking to someone; a living, breathing person nonetheless.

….

Carmen's eyes darted back over to the Hermes table and focused on the person sitting next to Terry.

…

At least…she thought it was a person.

…

The girl's physical appearance was otherworldly. Her skin reminded her of a white Crayola. Her hair was shiny, kind of silvery, and cut short. She was skinny, yet had a muscly build. Carmen had a feeling that she wasn't a child of Hermes. That made her wonder who the girl's godly parent was.

…

Before Carmen knew it, breakfast was over and it was time for activities and training. She stood up with a sigh and made her way over to the archery range. By the time she got there, Nico was already taking aim and Bonnie was struggling to put her arrow into place.

"Hi, Carmen, nice day isn't it?" That was Bonnie for you; bubbly and a bit too perky for Carmen's taste. Bonnie's strawberry blonde hair curls sprung up and down as she bounced on her tip-toes. Her brown eyes were full of excitement because of the simple prospect of a new day.

Nico released the string and his arrow went fling toward the target. It embedded itself in the red ring closest to the gold one. Carmen heard him mutter a Greek curse and watched as he loaded another arrow.

"No need to get huffy, Nico. You get closer to the center every time," Bonnie stopped trying to put her arrow in correctly and sloppily took aim. She let go of the chord and the arrow was released. It somehow managed to miss the target board altogether and drive into a nearby tree instead. Carmen could hear Stacey and her little followers begin to snicker and glance at the young daughter of Aphrodite.

Bonnie's happy aura faded slightly and her smile vanished. She sighed and then turned to Nico, hands on her hips.

"At least you can hit the target," Bonnie began to walk over to the tree she had hit to retrieve her arrow.

…

Walk…skipped was more like it…

…

Nico turned to Carmen, "You've been really quiet. You haven't made one snarky remark yet or said anything sarcastic, you okay?"

"Even though your concern touches me, I'm fine. Just been thinking."

"About what?"

"Oh, just wondering who Terry was talking to earlier. She's new, about your height, really pale."

"A good majority of new campers are pale," he pointed out.

"Who's pale?" Bonnie asked, having just returned from retrieving her arrow.

"The unclaimed girl who was talking to Terry earlier," Carmen was getting more anxious to find out who this chic was.

"Oh! Her! Yeah, she was pale."

"Like me pale, or something else," Nico questioned.

"Like, Albino pale."

Carmen watched with curiosity as Nico's eyes widened. His expression held a faraway look as if he were remembering something.

"You know her?" Bonnie questioned.

"Sort of…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've met her before."

"When did you meet her?" Carmen asked, "She only got here at like, what, midnight?"

Nico launched into his story about how he ran into the other night. He told them about how she tackled him, her insulting Mr. D to his face and getting away with it, and how he said he'd show her around. He left out the 'nothing to do with you' and 'freaky friends' parts, though. Nico didn't want them to assume that was what Celeste was going to do and then hating her, plus he didn't want to make Carmen angry about being called a freak.

"So this Celeste mysteriously showed up around campfire time and you have no background information whatsoever."

Nico shrugged, "That pretty much sums it up."

"Is her skin really white, as in _**white**_white?"

Carmen turned toward her peppy buddy with a completely serious face, "No, Bonnie. It's chartreuse."

…

"Really?"

"No."

…

Bonnie pouted, "Then why did you say that it was?"

"It's called sarcasm, Bonnie." Nico explained, smirking because of Carmen's statement, "Didn't you hear earlier when she described Celeste as Albino, which I'm not sure if she is, by the way."

"Oh," was all Bonnie said. She looked confused for a full minute before looking at Nico with a full smile.

"Can we come along when you show her around?"

"Uh…sure, I guess. Carmen, you want to come?"

"Alright, I've got nothing better to do."

Bonnie started jumping around, squealing something about being a welcoming committee. Carmen was actually looking forward to meeting this Celeste girl herself.

Celeste seemed like a potential sparring partner. From what the son of Hades described, she had some skill. Terry and Nico seemed to like her well enough, so that was a good sign because Terry was kind of closed off.

…

Nico didn't really like anybody so that made her want to meet Crayola Chic even more.

…

Carmen knew that she would eventually learn to like Celeste and that she was something because of one simple fact…

…

Anyone who could make Nico di Angelo speechless, Carmen liked.

_Sorry it's short, but I wanted to keep this story moving so I wrote this to keep it in motion. I'll try my best to make the next chapter longer._

_So what you think? Two new characters have been added that I came up with. I hope you like it and please review or critique so I can improve._


	3. Happy Days are NOT Here Again

Disclaimer: I do not own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians._

_P.S. I want to thank reviewers from here on out, so here we go:_

_***Drew**_ – thanks for being my very first reviewer ever!

…

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

><p>It was the end of the day, and Bonnie was happy.<p>

Well, happier than usual.

She was able to hit her archery target board, with Carmen's help of course. She'd gotten in a really good practice with Nico; her knives were some of her most prized possessions and she handled them like a professional. Then, to top it all off, she managed to not fall in the water during her canoe session.

…

And now, she was about to make a new friend.

Bonnie had always been the cheerful type. It was easy for her to get excited over the simplest of things. Her enthusiasm was sometimes intimidating.

…

She skipped alongside Carmen and hummed a familiar tune. The monotone girl next to her never said anything and just followed Nico to the Mess Hall. Apparently, there was something important Chiron needed to tell everyone.

Nobody knew what it was that could be so important that needed everyone present.

…

Bonnie stopped skipping when they got to the dining area. People were not sitting at their cabin's tables, but in groups of friends with some sitting on the floor and others in tables.

"This is…unnatural," Nico stated, looking around as if the entire place had suddenly turned upside down.

Bonnie, on the other hand, clasped her hands eagerly and smiled, "Yay! It looks like we're allowed to sit together with friends!"

Carmen looked at her friend; Bonnie actually seemed a bit relieved. Apparently, she didn't want her good day vibe squelched by her demon sisters.

Carmen turned to Nico, "So where's Chalky?"

Nico scanned over the various faces in the Mess Hall until he landed on a particularly pale one. Though he could only see the back of her head, he knew it was Celeste.

Nobody had skin that pale except for her.

…

…and nobody else was sitting at the Hades table…except for her.

…

He didn't know why, but a feeling of irritation and admiration began to rise up inside of Nico.

He almost couldn't believe Celeste had the nerve to sit down at his table without being invited, yet he felt respectful because she had most likely thought it through and still had the bravery to sit down. The last time people had sat down at his table without permission…it hadn't ended well.

…

Celeste turned around to where she was facing the strange trio and her bright eyes slammed into all of them.

Bonnie had overheard that she had striking eyes and super pale skin, but she didn't think that anyone meant it literally. When she first saw that color of blue, she had to do a double take. It almost hurt to look at Celeste in the eye, let alone head on. Carmen hadn't been kidding when she said that Celeste looked albino.

…

Celeste smiled and waved excitedly, probably relieved to see a familiar face. Nico shoved his hands into his pockets and continued to make his way over, ignoring the looks he was getting

"Hey," Celeste said a bit timidly. She seemed a bit nervous all of a sudden, "I got here early and they said we could sit wherever we wanted. You said you'd show me around so I found your table and…well…I hope you don't mind."

Carmen glanced out of the corner of her eye to look at Nico. She'd seen what happened when somebody had sat down at his table without permission. She wondered if he was going to lash out at the girl, but if was going to he would have done it long ago.

Nico opened his mouth to speak, "No it's fine, really. I did say I was going to show you around."

Bonnie skipped around Nico and took a seat right beside Celeste, "Hi! I'm Bonnie, and you must be Celeste! Nico's told us about you. I'm sorry if he wasn't very hospitable at first, we're working on that. I know he's not the nicest person at times, but if you get to know him he's a real sweetie! Oh, this is Carmen! She's alright, I guess…"

"It's nice you think _so_ highly of me, Bonnie." Carmen was already sitting down on the opposite side of the table along with Nico. She had a pretty good idea of how weird they all looked sitting together but decided not to think about it.

"Um, it's nice to meet both of you," Celeste looked a bit overwhelmed.

Bonnie was about to start talking again, but stopped when Chiron arrived. He motioned for everyone to be quiet and the noise gradually began to dim.

"As you all know," he began, "the gods are doing their best to honor their vow to pay more attention to their children. A lot of conversing has been done to decide the best way to do this and a decision has been made. Tomorrow, your parents will be coming. All of them."

…

There was nothing but utter silence for a complete two seconds.

Then came the cheering…

…

Teenagers were jumping up and down, some people were doing dances, others were talking excitedly in small groups, and a few were just sitting with blank expressions.

...

…a few meant everyone at the Hades table.

Bonnie almost didn't believe what she had heard. She'd never met her mother before and never really planned on doing so. And now, out of Zeus' blue sky, came this. Not only was it _totally _unexpected but the fact was horrifying.

She had always been a bit different from her sisters. Okay, a lot different. Bonnie didn't see any similarity in them whatsoever. If you didn't actually know who her parent was, you'd never think she was a daughter of Aphrodite except for her personality. Bonnie never thought much about clothes, makeup, or boys. In fact, these things never crossed her mind.

Apparently, if you were a daughter of Aphrodite and didn't revolve your life around these things, something was wrong with you. Bonnie's siblings made sure she knew this.

From what she'd gathered, her mother was shallow. Bonnie didn't think she would make an exception for her own children either. So along with meeting Aphrodite for the first time, Bonnie would probably end up being hated by her too.

…

_So much for ending my day on a happy note, _Bonnie thought.

She looked over at her friends to see how they were handling this.

Celeste didn't look ecstatic or scared, in fact she looked bored. Bonnie looked at Celeste's face for any change in expression, but after a while Bonnie began to get bored watching someone who _was_ bored and moved on…

…

Carmen didn't look so good. She was sitting so still that Carmen looked like one of Medusa's statues. Her face had frozen in a mask of shock and it didn't look like she was breathing. Bonnie could relate to how she felt. They faced the same problem, but Carmen was a daughter of Apollo. She was not perky, or happy-go-lucky, and she was most certainly far from caring.

Bonnie would ask Carmen if she was okay later.

…

Nico was worse off than anyone else. His breathing was ragged and his hands had clenched into fists. His dark eyes had lost focus and it looked like he was shaking. Bonnie didn't understand why he was like that at first. She thought he was on better terms with his father.

Then she understood that just because he was on better terms didn't mean that everything was smooth between them.

…

Bonnie reached over and touched Nico's wrist, making a feeble attempt to snap him out of his trance. To her surprise it worked. He looked Bonnie in the eye the turned back to Chiron, making it clear he didn't want to talk.

It took a full five minutes to calm everyone down. Chiron took a deep breath before continuing.

"That's not the only thing the gods will be doing. You see, they also find it necessary to know your full potential while here. That is why a test has been set up."

…

People began to whisper but stopped when Chiron gave them stern looks.

"Athena and Ares came together, somehow, to create what would best be defined as a mock war. What will happen is you will divide into groups of no more than 10 people. Then you will be sent to a remote area where the game will be held. After that, the war begins. The goal is conquest. You are to defeat an opponent's team and take the members of the group as part of your own. Whoever has the most people by the end of a set time or has conquered the entire area wins.

You will be allowed to use the resources of the land where you will be sent. You can also control a certain area of land and do what you want with it. Forts and bases are allowed. The gods have legalized alliances and team merges, and if you appeal to them they may send you favors. You must pick your groups and have them registered at the end of the day your parents arrive."

…

Chiron paused to let all that sink in. Bonnie could already tell by peoples' faces that they were already thinking up strategies, who their team members should be, and how exactly to set everything up.

"Are there any questions?" Immediately, hands shot up, "Yes, Miss Harrison?"

A girl with dark brown hair stood up, "What kind of attacks can we use against other teams?"

About a quarter of the raised hands in the room went down. Apparently this was what a lot of people wanted to know.

"You are allowed to use any kind of attacks," the trainer of heroes explained, "Ambushes, formal, long distance, any kind you can think of you can use it. Mr. Adams, do you have a question?"

"Yeah, will the gods be watching?"

"Yes, the whole thing. Miss Grant?"

Bonnie realized that 'Miss Grant' was Carmen and adjusted herself to where she was looking at her friend.

"What happens if we get killed?"

Every hand that was still raised went down and a heavy silence filled the room. It was a question that everyone needed answered but was afraid to know what it was.

"Thank you, Miss Grant; I was just about to get to that. When you are transported, you are not really in reality anymore. What happens is that you are in an alternate reality, which is why a week there is only a day here. If it does so happen that you are slain, you will simply, well, evaporate. You will be transported back here where you will continue to watch the game with the gods and any comrades who may have fallen before you.

You are allowed to take things with you so make sure to be prepared. Team pickings officially begin now so I highly advise you make wise choices in members. Remember, only 10 people to start. You are allowed to sit with your teams during meals to talk. I wish you all the best of luck. That is all."

…

With that, Chiron left. After he was gone, campers slowly began to file out of the Mess Hall. Bonnie wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't prepared for any of this.

She blinked and then realized that she was the only one left at the table and the other three were walking out. Bonnie leapt from her seat and sprinted to catch up with her friends.

"So," she said when she realized nobody was holding a conversation. They had situated themselves at the beach and were lounging on the sand, "what do you all think of this?"

"I think it's barbaric!" Carmen was red in the face with anger. She obviously didn't like this idea.

"C'mon, it isn't that bad."

"Yes it is, they're setting us up for the slaughter! They know who will last the longest and who's going to be the first to fall. I bet when they voted or whatever, that the winning side only had like 2 more than the losing. This is insane!"

"I have to agree with Carmen on this one," Nico scratched the back of his head, "People are going to have some serious psychological problems. Feeling like you're dead and then coming back and acting as if nothing ever happened can do things to you."

"Way to make it morbid…" Carmen said under her breath.

Nico rolled his eyes, "This is going to embarrass some gods and put us under a lot of pressure. People are going to try to do anything to make their parents proud. I can already tell that some half-bloods are going to do things they wouldn't normally do. And what you said about setting us up, I'm behind you on that. Even I already know who's going to win."

"Then why do you think they're doing this?" Bonnie was now officially lost, but Celeste cleared that up for her.

"Zeus and a couple others probably just want an ego boost," Celeste crossed her arms and Carmen nodded.

"Yeah, boosts at the expense of demigods like us."

This seemed to really dampen the mood. Bonnie's smile was wiped clean off her face and Nico's shoulders slumped. Carmen and Celeste were completely silent. The only thing that could be heard was the waves from the ocean lapping on the shore.

Bonnie was the first to snap, "I wish that we could prove them all wrong. Show them that we're more than just misfits; that we are just as good as they are; maybe even better than them!"

Nico sat up straight, "Then why don't we?"

…

"What?"

"Why should we give them that ego boost, huh? Why don't we try to win?"

…

"Because we can't," Bonnie hugged her knees to her chest.

…

"Because we'd die," one can always trust Carmen to be truthful.

…

"I think you could do it," Celeste nervously twisted a strand of her hair, "I mean what's holding you back."

"Public humiliation…"

…

"Carmen…" Bonnie rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Well, it's true."

"I think we should at least be our own team," Nico stated.

"Why?"

"Do you have any ideas for which team you're going to be on? Or better yet, who would let you on their team to begin with?"

Carmen's eyes burned, "I don't know, and I really don't care. Why would you suggest we form our own team anyway when Percy or Zeke is probably going to ask you to join theirs tonight?"

It was Nico's turn to get angry, "Zeke and Percy are definitely going to be on the same team. I like Percy, he's my friend, but I don't like Zeke. I can't stand him! I could never be on the same team as him unless it was direly necessary. Plus, he hates me! He hates me because I don't worship him or follow his every command like everyone else. The only other people who don't do that are Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia, and he knows better than to mess with them! But me, he can do whatever he wants with me. He's already trying to make my time here miserable, so nothing would stop him during the game. Zeke would use me as a puppet and I'm not doing that!"

…

Nobody said anything after that. They all just kind of sat there feeling awkward. Bonnie traced a finger through the sand and Celeste took to throwing rocks into the waves.

Nico sighed, "Look, I'm sorry for going off like that but I just don't want to be used like some tool. So I'm still going to make my own team, even if you don't want to be a part of it."

Carmen snorted, "Of course I'm going to be on your team! Nico, you're one of the few people that I actually like in this place."

"I'm in! I want to be a part of you guys' team too, please?" Bonnie clasped her hands together and made begging motions.

"What about you Celeste? Are you in?" Nico looked over at the girl, who seemed to feel a bit left out.

Celeste looked surprised, as if she wasn't expecting to be included. Her blue eyes darted back and forth between the three demigods.

"I-I don't know… Do you really want me on your team?"

"Yeah. Why not?" Carmen raised an eyebrow at Celeste.

"Well, you all are just meeting me. And since you want to win, you want people who can fight really well. You don't know if I'm what you're looking for."

Carmen smiled roguishly, "When's a better time to find out than now?"

…

She stood up and pulled out a charm from her pocket. At first it was a small silver musical note, and then Carmen closed her eyes and focused. The charm glowed and grew into a long silver sword. She pointed it at Celeste, challenging her to a fight.

…

…

…

Celeste smiled in anticipation and stood up. She lifted a hand above her head and the cuff she was wearing blazed. A bright light flashed for a brief second and there in Celeste's hand was that same javelin that Nico had seen her with back in the woods.

…

The two girls shifted into fighting positions…and then charged each other.

* * *

><p><em>Yes, I've left a cliff hanger. I just want to keep the story moving. Though, I can promise you that there will be more as soon as possible. <em>

_Next chapter, we see who wins the duel, the arrival of the gods, and we will finally find out who Celeste is!_

_***calling all readers***: I would really appreciate it if you could PM me or leave a review for any ideas you may have. I need inspiration for fight scenes, pairings, epic arrivals of the gods, etc. So feel free to share anything, I would like to add my readers to the story. If you have any questions, just ask!_

_Same message as before: constructive criticism is welcome; please review to help me become a better writer_

_Signing out:_

_**Fantasila**_


	4. Important Note, please read

**This is not a chapter, but a note.**

I have made a poll that I will be leaving up until the event's chapter. It is for who should win the test.

I want you all to decide who is victorious and who gets the glory.

It will be up following this post, so go and vote!

Another thing, please PM me on your ideas for the god's arrivals and how Celeste should be claimed.

Thanks,

_Fantasila _


	5. Propositions and Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians._

*_**Gamerlover**_ - Thanks for the comment on spelling and grammar, I really do try hard. Also, I will make sure that Celeste is not a Mary sue.

…

_I have just a simple request…__**PLEASE REVIEW**__! I would really appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on my story!_

Anyway, enjoy!

The two weapons collided with a metallic clang and sparks flew. Neither girl drew back her weapon. They both pushed against each other, as much as their strength would allow. Celeste began to draw her javelin up while still pushing on Carmen's sword, forcing her opponent to do the same.

Carmen was about to kick Celeste's feet out from under her, but the paler girl slammed her foot into Carmen's chest. She stumbled backward, the wind having been knocked out of her, and tried to regain her balance. But, she only had enough time to bring her sword to her side as Celeste took a quick swing at her abdomen.

…

Nico was looking forward to see who would win. He knew that Carmen was a beast when it came to sword fighting (even though she was second to him). And even though he barely knew Celeste, when that javelin was pointed at his throat he knew right away that she didn't mess around.

He knew from the beginning that Carmen had the upper hand. Swords were easier to maneuver than a javelin. Javelins were spear-like and required more time for striking. If it were anyone else dueling Carmen with that weapon, Nico knew they would lose.

…

This, however, was not the case.

…

Celeste handled the weapon with almost unnatural skill. Every move was calculated and then performed with perfection. She applied what appeared to be a lot of force to each slash and prod. Her defense was spectacular. Every time Carmen went in for a swing, Celeste would block her attacks and then spin the javelin like a baton into the other hand, ready ahead of time for another round.

…

She showed no mercy when fighting.

…

Nico was brought back to reality when Celeste knocked Carmen's legs out from under her and the daughter of Apollo fell onto her back. Carmen barely had time to roll out of the way as Celeste brought her javelin straight down above her, driving a hole into the ground.

Before Carmen could even stand up, Celeste kicked her sword from her hand and pointed the javelin directly at Carmen's heart.

…

Nico was speechless.

Besides himself, nobody had ever beaten Carmen except for Percy.

He'd never seen anyone taken down so quickly either.

…

Carmen just stared at Celeste for a good minute. Then, she broke out into a grin.

"Nice," she said. Celeste smiled back and her javelin glowed until it had turned back into a wrist cuff. She offered a hand to Carmen, who gladly took it and stood up.

"I haven't had a fight like that in ages; remind me to spar with you from now on!"

"Thanks, it's been a while since I've had a fight, but you are by far the most challenging opponent I've had in a while! You are quite good with that sword."

"You're not too bad with that javelin yourself. Hey, if you show me some moves, I'll tell you some of Nico's secrets in return."

"Deal," the two shook hands and grinned evilly at each other, anticipating their trade. Nico and Bonnie both sauntered over, Bonnie more excited and Nico nonchalantly.

"That was amazing," Bonnie exclaimed, "Celeste, you're exactly what we're looking for in a team. Why did you make it seem like you weren't good enough."

Celeste shrugged, "Well, while I was being brought up, if I showed even the slightest sign of pride I'd get punished. I guess it just kind of left a lasting effect."

"Sheesh, who raised you?" Carmen lifted an eyebrow.

"That…is a very long story."

"Do tell," Nico crossed his arms over his chest.

She glared at him, "No thanks, I like to keep some areas of my life private."

"Really? It seems to me like you keep **all** areas of your life private."

"Your point?"

"Oh, it's just I like to know about the people I'm trusting."

…

Nico wasn't entirely sure why he was being a bit cold all of a sudden. Perhaps he was still upset about the table incident…

Or perhaps the fact that Carmen and Bonnie trusted her so quickly and enough to tell her things about him that may have been personal irritated him…

…

Celeste glared at Nico, rubbing her wrist cuff. For a second, Nico thought she was going to skewer him. But he knew better. She didn't seem impulsive or ill-tempered.

…

What she did next surprised him. Celeste sighed then turned and began to walk away.

"If you wanted to know the basics about me, then all you had to do was ask," she looked back over her shoulder and gave him a teasing smile. He narrowed his eyes, yet followed her without question with Carmen and Bonnie trailing closely behind.

Somehow, she knew that he was trying to get to her and that he was annoyed. He didn't exactly know how she knew, but she did.

…

"Okay, then," Nico started, "How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen"

"Do you know who your godly parent is?"

"No clue."

Bonnie squeezed past Nico, "That means you'll be claimed tonight!"

"…I will?" Celeste tensed all of a sudden and she seemed troubled.

"Yeah, all undetermined half-bloods who are 13 get claimed. Why, is something wrong?" Bonnie noticed her unsettled state.

"Oh, I just didn't think that it would be happening so fast."

Bonnie shrugged and continued asking questions, "Is your mortal parent male or female?"

"I don't know. Whichever gender, they're dead."

"Well, that makes it easier to narrow down whose daughter you are…"

"It's okay, I'll find out tonight anyway."

"Oh, yeah! Anyway, what do you think of camp?"

"It's nice, I guess."

"Good, we thought someone like Stacey would have had you crying by no," Carmen crossed her arms.

"Like Stacey could make me cry, I saw her bullying some little girl earlier and the only thing I saw was a 'witch that starts with a b' who needs to make others feel terrible to feel good. The only thing she _needs _is a good telling off."

…

Carmen pumped a fist into the air, "Amen."

Nico rolled his eyes, "Anyway…Who would you like your parent to be?"

"Well, if I had to pick, I would say Hecate."

…

Nico looked at her with wide eyes, "Really?"

"Yeah: they're smart, resourceful, and talented with their magic. Why so surprised?"

"I don't know; you strike me more as a daughter of Hermes."

"Hermes?"

"Sure. You're a smart aleck, crafty, and you have the potential to be a sneak."

Celeste smirked, "Why, thank you."

…

Nico tried to subdue a grin that was beginning to work its way onto his face. He succeeded, but not before Bonnie caught a glimpse of it. She had never seen him smile before, and she had to admit he had a nice smile. She also couldn't help but feel a bit grateful to Celeste.

Bonnie had been trying to make Nico loosen up ever since they met. She had never been able to do so until about a month ago.

And now here was some girl doing it without even trying.

…

Did Nico like her or something?

No; unlikely…fractionally possible…but unlikely.

…

The odd troupe had reached the Mess Hall once again, but this time it was for dinner. They were obviously late, due to the fact that people were already eating and everyone looked situated. The group casually strolled over to Nico's table and sat down. They chose their drinks and got plenty of food from the trays offered by the nymphs.

Nico had to admit that the nymphs had outdone themselves. Apparently, they found the announcement of the gods' arrival a cause for celebration. They'd made food of all kinds: seafood, barbeque, sautéed vegetables, pastas, and all kinds of other things. Nico's stomach gave an anticipating growl; his famous appetite beginning to rouse.

…

But before he could take a bite, Nico got an unwanted visitor.

…

"Di Angelo, what is up?"

Nico mentally rolled his eyes and grudgingly averted his attention to the person who got on his nerves the most.

Zeke Adams was the 16-year old son of Zeus. When the gods found out that Zeus had broken the oath twice, they weren't happy, especially Nico's father. But, they couldn't really do anything about it. And since he was claimed after the prophecy was fulfilled, it kind of blew over.

Zeke was, to put it lightly, arrogant and a jerk. He thought that the world owed him something and that he was some kind of king over everyone. It didn't help that the campers treated him like one either. During Nico's sword fighting class with him, all the girls would swoon over how handsome he was and how talented he was. If only they knew the truth…

Zeke loathed Nico. He didn't know what he did to make Zeke despise him, all he knew was that the son of Zeus wanted to destroy him every chance he got. He was kind of the ring leader of the people who like to torment him. Any of Nico's secrets Zeke got a hold of, he would expose. During sparring sessions, Zeke would try to cheat to beat Nico.

It only made things worse since Zeke rarely succeeded in getting his hands on Nico's secrets and Nico's defense was impeccable. This only got on Zeke's nerves, so he would go to great lengths to remind everyone that Nico was an outsider.

Overall, there was _really _bad blood between to two sons of the Big Three.

…

"Hello, Zeke." Nico said blandly, not displaying any emotion on his face.

"Why so glum, cousin? Are you not happy to see me?"

"I guess I'm just tired."

"Ah, well, anyway, have you picked a team to be on yet?"

"Actually, I – "

"Good, because I have a proposition for ya; Percy and I were talking and we both agreed that having you on our team would be beneficial. If all the Big Three kids were on the same team, it'd be a surefire victory."

"Zeke I – "

"You have _some_ power and I feel that if we work with it, you'd make a pretty good commander for troops. We could your geokinesis to construct some really strong forts and I was also thinking we could use it to – "

"I'm registering my own team."

…

Zeke's cocky smile faded and he glared at Nico, "Excuse me?"

"I said – "

"I heard what you said; I just can't believe you would do something so stupid!"

"It's not stupid."

"It is, and do you want to know why? You're going to embarrass yourself, there's no way you could even come close to winning! Nico, you may have power and potential, but you don't know how to lead. Don't you see; Percy and I are trying to **help** you."

"I don't remember asking for your help."

…

Zeke sighed and crossed his arms, "I tried being nice about this, but since you decided to go off on your own let me try getting this through your skull." He leaned down to where Nico was sitting to where their faces were only inches apart, "I don't like you, but I'm going to win this competition. And if you won't come when asked, then we'll just have to take you by force. The minute the game starts, we'll hunt you down and you won't have a choice about joining us or not. **Got it?**"

…

Bonnie looked over at Nico just in time to see his jaw twitch. Zeke was in spitting distance, and it looked like Nico wanted to do just that.

Instead, he smirked. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you try."

Zeke stood up straight and let out a harsh laugh. He crossed his arms and gave Nico a look, "Just out of curiosity, who was stupid enough to join your team? Or did you bribe somebody?"

Nico raised an eyebrow, "They would be the others sitting at this table who you **failed** to acknowledge."

Zeke looked at each of the girls sitting at the Hades table. He barely glanced at Carmen and when he did he snorted. They knew each other and weren't proud about it. Zeke had tried pinching her thigh once and Carmen slapped him clean across the face.

…

He did, however, spend more time looking over Bonnie. He scanned her entire form over and the look in his eye made Bonnie uncomfortable. It was almost predatory.

Bonnie looked down to try to avoid Zeke's gaze, but he reached over and placed his fingers under her chin. He tilted her head up so that she was forced to look at him. Zeke smirked.

"This one isn't bad looking. She'll definitely make some boy really lucky…"

Bonnie frowned. Zeke had a history of breaking hearts. He wasn't one for sentimentality, more of a physical guy. Bonnie would never do stuff like _that. _She was much too young to even think about it. But the way Zeke was looking at her, it made her wonder if he would wait till she was older…

…

Celeste reached over and slapped Zeke's hand away from Bonnie's face. He turned to snap at the person who would dare to do that to him. Zeke laid eyes on Celeste and raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Celeste," she replied, giving him the coldest of looks, "_what _are you?"

Zeke's eyes flashed. It was obvious he was offended for being addressed as a 'what'. He then took a deep breath, regained his composure, and smiled.

"Zeke Adams, son of Zeus." He narrowed his eyes, "I've never seen you around here before."

"I'm new."

"Are you? Well, isn't that just peachy?"

…

Zeke turned his attention back to Nico, rudely dismissing Celeste.

"So you've got a depressed daughter of Apollo, an airheaded yet cute Aphrodite chic, and some unclaimed albino girl. Nico, you have managed to dissolve any respect I had for you at all."

…

Carmen scowled, "I am not depressed. Pessimistic, yes, but not depressed. And Bonnie is not an airhead…all the time – "

"Hey!"

Carmen ignored Bonnie, "Plus, Celeste over here gets claimed tonight."

…

Zeke turned to Celeste, who was now giving him a look that could melt steel, "Really?"

He picked up Celeste's plate and held it out to her, "Then by all means, let's find out who your parent is, shall we? Perhaps you'll have some worth…"

Celeste glared at him and took her plate. She stood up and went over to the brazier. She looked back at the Hades table to her friends. Bonnie was giving her a gigantic, reassuring smile, while Carmen was patiently waiting. Nico smirked at her as if to say 'go on'. Celeste turned back to the fire.

…

...

Before she threw in a chunk of meat, she said a quick prayer to all the deity she knew, hers or not.

_I know who I am and what is going to happen when everyone finds out. Even though this will cause trouble, please let me keep my friends. If you only grant me one wish in my entire existence, please let be this one. Things aren't going to be the same now. The gods will be angered and a chain of events will start soon. I need someone to be there for me…please…_

…

Celeste threw the meat into the flames.

…

Almost immediately, the fire burned all sorts of cool colors: blues, purples, and greens. It cast a brilliant light throughout the entire pavilion. The flames reached higher toward the ceiling…then reached out toward Celeste.

She screamed as the flames tried to grab her. They danced around her body and sparked. They changed shape and form constantly, looking like hot fire one moment then a cool haze the next. It would occasionally shimmer or pulse.

…

When the flames abruptly died down, only one thing remained. Over Celeste's head was a glowing eight pointed star. It was an aquamarine color and each point was wickedly sharp. In the center of the star, an ember burned a deep purple.

…

When the symbol faded, the entire Mess Hall was silent.

"Impossible…" Mr. D was staring at Celeste. It looked like he was trying to think too many things at once. His face had gone pale and he had frozen. He then stood and walked briskly out of the Hall, pulling a cell phone from his pocket and yelling something in no one language.

Chiron was the quickest to recover, hoping to do something in the norm in hopes of keeping everyone calm.

He bowed and said, "Hail, Celeste, Daughter of Chaos, Ruler of the Abyss, Commander of the Cosmos, Creator of All."

…

…

…

…

"It is done," Rin said coldly.

"I could have been worse…" Rin's younger sister, Mirembe, spoke from her humble throne.

"True, they could have run her out instantly," Tlaloc yawned.

Rin huffed and stomped out of the hall. Mirembe scrambled to her feet and followed her brooding sister out the door, leaving only two gods left in the throne room.

"Question, well two actually: Why did we allow them to find out about her bloodline again?" Rangi scratched the back of his neck, causing tufts of fog to roll of his skin.

Tlaloc sighed, "We wanted them to be at least partially prepared for what is to come."

"Oh."

"Your other question?"

"Yes, when do we become part of the equation?"

Tlaloc rubbed the hilt of his sword, "Soon, Rangi, soon…"

Rangi smiled mischievously, "This…is going to be _**fun**_."

…

…

…

…

…

…

_Done! What do you think? I know I lied about the gods coming. Next chapter, I promise._

_Please review and PM me if you have any input or thoughts!_

_Since some of you don't have accounts and want to vote for the victors, leave your vote in a review or PM and I'll include it in the tally._

_Remember, ideas are welcome and REVIEW!_

_Signing out:_

_**Fantasila**_


	6. Fame and Friction

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

*** Artemis-girl123 – **Gladly! I love writing this!

*** Cryanth – **Ditto!

_Sorry for the delay, lots of revisions had to be done_.

…

_In this installment of __Playing with Chaos, __the gods decide to arrive early and Celeste gets on some of their good and bad sides._

_**Enjoy, my readers!**_

* * *

><p>Celeste had been herded away after the star above her head faded. Nobody had been able to say anything to her. She, however, had been able to say something to Nico as she passed him.<p>

"Hang out around the Big House, I'll meet you outside when they let me leave," was all she had managed to whisper into his ear before being led off.

The minute the newly discovered daughter of Chaos had left the building, the Mess Hall exploded into conversation. Half-bloods talked excitedly amongst each another.

…Some in disbelief, others in fear….

…

"Well," Zeke said, his eyes wide, "I never expected _that!" _

"Who did?" Nico stabbed a piece of chicken on his plate with his fork and put it into his mouth.

Bonnie turned on him, "How can you eat at a time like this?"

"And what exactly is this time?"

"Don't you see? We're friends with a daughter of Chaos!"

"Strawberry Shortcake there has a point," Zeke contemplatively scratched his chin, "imagine the possibilities with someone like that as your ally."

Nico turned to Zeke with a barely suppressed irritation, "Sorry, but she's already taken."

Zeke shrugged, "People change their minds all the time. And I can be very persuasive, you know." He smirked at all of them before turning around and walking away. "Ciao!" Zeke called from over his shoulder.

…

Carmen crossed her arms, "I _really _don't like that guy…"

Nico shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth, "And now he's going to be plotting up a way to steal one of our team members."

Bonnie looked about ready to cry, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give him any ideas…"

Carmen expression softened as she looked at her friend, "It's not your fault, Zeke was probably thinking up something the moment that star appeared above her head."

"Carmen's right, you're not to blame here." Nico finished off his helping and stood up to leave, "C'mon, we should go."

"Where?" Bonnie asked miserably.

"To my cabin, of course," Nico stuck his hands into his pockets and began making his way out of the Mess Hall.

…

…

Carmen and Bonnie just sat there, staring at the back of Nico's head as if they couldn't quite grasp what he'd said…which they didn't.

Realizing that nobody was behind him; Nico turned around to look at his friends.

"What?" He questioned.

"Why are we going to your cabin exactly?" Carmen looked genuinely confused.

"Everyone knows what team they're on, right? What we don't know is when the games are going to start. It could be tomorrow night or next week, but I'm going to be prepared." Nico turned back around, "Tonight, I think we should come up with a few strategies. Just to be safe. Knowing everyone else, they won't start the actual work until after all the 'festivities' are over. At least then we'll be a little ahead of the others."

Carmen stood up and stretched, "And that's why you're in charge. I would never think _that far_ ahead."

Bonnie practically bounced out of her seat and began to skip outside, "Well, let's go! We have no time to waste!" She then stopped and looked at Nico with a raised brow, "You do clean in there right."

"Of course I clean my room!"

Bonnie smiled, "Good, because I refuse to enter a disaster zone."

A crooked grin made its way across Nico's face as he led the way to his cabin.

…

He was completely unaware that his cousins' eyes were following him as he left.

…

…

…

Bonnie plopped herself onto one of the plush chairs in Nico's room. It was surprisingly comfortable for something black and made of leather. She settled further back into the seat, letting it swallow her in its softness.

Carmen and Nico were currently debating over the best attack plan to go with first during the mock war, whether to go in rough and tough (Carmen) or sneaky and smooth (Nico).

But Bonnie's thoughts were elsewhere, she couldn't help but notice that someone was missing. Even though she just met Celeste, Bonnie was fast to make friends with the few people who actually liked her. She couldn't help but feel like Celeste had been her friend forever; it was part of her nature.

"I'm telling you, if we go in strong we'll make ourselves known and – "

"That's exactly the **opposite **of what we want! We want to lay low and gain power, that way we won't be seen as a threat. If people don't pay attention to us, we can use that to our advantage to grow stronger without interference. If we just _**throw ourselves**_ out into the open like that – "

"Then people will know not to mess with us! They'll know we're strong and go for weaker targets."

"No, they'll see us as a challenge and come after us! Carmen, you're plan doesn't make any sense at all – "

"It makes perfect sense! And I bet Bonnie agrees with me!" Carmen turned toward her friend.

The two usually backed each other up on important decisions against Nico; like what movie to see, what school teams to try out for, and where to go out for lunch on weekends. Things like that. But when Carmen looked at Bonnie, she became concerned.

"Bonnie?"

"Hm…Oh, I was just wondering."

"'Bout what?" Nico asked as he sat down in the chair opposite of Bonnie.

"Nothing, just about what's going on with Celeste and all…"

…

This sobered up the room quickly. It had been a good two and a half hours since they last saw Celeste. They were all beginning to wonder what exactly was happening up at the Big House.

"I'm sure she's fine," Nico stated while slouching lower down in his chair, "she's pretty tough and doesn't take bad-mouthing from anybody. Whatever's going on, she can handle it."

He couldn't help but look out the window toward the Big House. Normally, the lights would be out. But tonight had been anything but normal and all the lights were still on.

Nico wondered what they were doing in there…and his curiosity was beginning to stir. He wanted to know. She _did _say to meet her when she was all finished up.

…

And she never did say he _couldn't_ come early.

…

"I'll be back," Nico said while standing up and heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie sat forward some and looked him in the eye.

"Celeste told me to meet her when she was done," Nico turned around and smirked, "she never said I couldn't wait outside."

…

…

…

...

Celeste examined her nails for the 32nd time that night. She had become bored out of her mind at number 19. She stretched herself out on the couch and yawned, trying to remember why she was here in the first place. Ever since being dragged away, she hadn't been given a reason why. The nymphs who escorted her here were nice enough, but they didn't say anything.

It was silent for the first hour and a half she had been sitting here. Nobody had come to say anything to her. Celeste hadn't heard anything. In fact, she was pretty sure she was the only person in the Big House.

She drifted off after some time, only to be awakened by loud shouting. It was coming from the room opposite of her with the door closed. Celeste could hear different vocal tones, which told her there was more than one person in the room. Whoever was in there, they were not happy. She slowly crept over to the door and placed an ear against it. Celeste could make out the conversations.

…

"– I still don't see why we all had to come," a male voice said.

"It's because this should concern you too. You're just upset because we interrupted, what did you call it, a musical masterpiece in the making?" This voice was feminine and seemed to be annoyed.

"C'mon, little sis! You know it sounded good!"

"It did not sound good," a third voice said, "it was terrible." This one was female, but it didn't sound as young as the first. Celeste grew bored with that discussion and tuned in on another one.

…

"– did you hear how Chiron described her, its horrifying! To think someone could be that pale, she must have a terrible facial complexion. It must be so easy to get sunburned!" The voice was yet again female and practically oozing with a fake sweetness.

Celeste didn't like that one so far. _My facial complexion is fine, thank you, _she thought, _and I don't think I have the ability __**to **__sunburn…_

"I'm sure she looks fine. Appearances aren't everything," a male voice said. It was a bit gruff and harsh.

"I'm sure you would be the one to say that, brother, but for once I agree with you. I don't care how she looks; it's how strong she is. That's what I want to know!" Another male voice, this one was loud and arrogant.

"That is what we all want to know. Now, will everyone please shut up so we can decide what to do with her!" This man's voice was so booming that Celeste had to move her head farther away from the door. It did make everyone go quiet, though. "As a daughter of Chaos, she poses as a threat to us and the safety of our children."

"Brother, just because Chaos has never had children before doesn't automatically make the child evil." This masculine voice was smooth and calm. It reminded her of another deity she knew…

"That's what I'm worried about, the fact that Chaos has **never** had offspring until now. He's never made himself known; never even let us know he's truly existed! The only way we know there is an actual Chaos is from ancient texts and mother Rhea's teachings. And now, one of his offspring just so happens to come in from nowhere! Is that not strange?"

"It is strange, I admit, but that still doesn't mean the girl is a problem. From what Dionysus described, it seems the only problem with her is that she has an occasional smart mouth."

_It's true; _Celeste thought cheerily, _I do!_

"That's not the point! Smart mouth or not, you can't deny the fact that she is a very powerful half-blood. What happens if she can't control her own abilities and – "

"Pardon the interruption brothers," a silky and cold voice said. It was all too familiar and brought back memories, "but I believe this conversation is no longer private."

…

And with that, the door swung open, making Celeste fall over and into the room. She hadn't been prepared for the door to suddenly open like it did, so she hit the floor with a rather impressive thud.

Celeste sat up and looked at the faces around her. They were staring at her, so she did the natural thing…

…

…she stared back.

…

All 13 of them were different. Nobody held the slightest similarity, except maybe in physical traits. Seven of them were looking at her with curiosity, four with suspicion…and two with utter shock and disbelief…and mild annoyance.

…

One of the two was wearing a light brown dress the color of grain. She had her hair pulled back into a loose bun and was wearing sandals. The look she was giving Celeste was shocked, but also had a pain in it that was well hidden. When Celeste made full eye contact, the woman looked away and pretended to be focused on something else.

…

The other one…well…he was totally different. While he still looked surprised, the irritation that showed on his face was obvious. His messy black hair stood out from his pale skin with as much contrast as it did the last time she saw him. He wasn't wearing those dark robes; instead he had on a pair of black jeans with a black shirt. His arms were crossed across his chest and Celeste could see the tension that had begun to settle into his physique.

His eyes were now narrowed at her and would occasionally twitch…

_Good, _she thought bitterly, _he remembers me._

…

"Well, stand up," the god she could now identify as Zeus said to her.

"You don't have to tell me twice…" Celeste mumbled under her breath as she got to her feet. She brushed herself off and looked back at the people before her.

"State your name," Zeus commanded.

"Celeste."

"No last name?"

"Does it matter?"

Zeus gave her a look and huffed. He leaned back in his seat and looked her up and down.

"You don't look like much."

"Looks can be deceiving."

"True…" He stroked his beard, thinking up more questions as he did so. "Tell me, when did you get here?"

"Last night."

"That's not very long ago," Artemis spoke up from her corner in the room.

"Have you met anybody?" Aphrodite said while sitting up, eager at the prospect of messing with someone new.

"A few people, including your daughter, my lady."

"Really? Which one?"

"Bonnie Kingston."

"Ah, yes, my little darling. She has the most extraordinary hair, you know!" Aphrodite clasped her hands together happily and Celeste would have to remember to tell Bonnie how her mother had complemented her, "Anybody else?"

"Carmen Grant – "

"My daughter?" Apollo flashed a blinding smile at the mention of one of his children.

"Yeah, we had a small duel earlier today. She's really a talented fighter."

"Well, of course, all my children are talented!" Apollo smiled brighter and stood up straighter as if Carmen's praise was really for him.

Celeste couldn't help but give him a small smile back and Ares snorted.

"Don't feel too comfortable, kid. You're not on anyone's good side yet." Ares turned to Apollo, "You, stop smiling like an idiot. She probably said your daughter was a good fighter because she lost."

Celeste put her hands on her hips and glared at the god of war, "Carmen _is _a good fighter and so am I."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

Celeste pulled off her wrist cuff and it quickly morphed into her javelin, "Then let me have the _pleasure _of showing you."

Ares eyes began to burn and he sat up from his slouched position. Zeus, however, intervened before things could get violent.

"No fighting," he said before either Celeste or Ares could make a move.

Ares settled back into his previous position, "Fine by me, I don't fight little girls anyway."

Celeste smirked, "Why? Been beaten by Athena so many times that you couldn't stomach another loss to a female?"

…

Ares eyes blazed a dangerous red and his hands clenched into fists, "Why you – "

Hermes laughed out loud, "Oh relax, Ares. You know it's true! You can't get mad at the kid just because she defended her honor and her friend." He turned to the daughter of Chaos, "Besides, I like this one. She's got spirit! And pretty eyes, too!"

His caduceus, which was leaning against the wall next to him, began to move as two snakes circled their way up the staff.

_Pretty? _Said George incredulously, _Hermes, have you gone blind? The girl's ugly!_

_George! _Martha scolded.

Hermes looked about ready to do the same, but Celeste stopped him. "No, it's okay. I don't mind what he calls me," she said, "it's not like his opinion matters to me. Besides, he's not much of a looker himself."

…

George proceeded to hiss at Celeste before becoming silent. Martha smiled…or rather gave the equivalent of one considering she was a snake.

_I like her, _Martha whispered to Hermes. He opened his mouth to respond, but Zeus cut him off.

"We shall continue with our questions." He turned back to Celeste, "Who's your mother?"

"Chaos."

"But – "

"I should probably explain something," Celeste wrung her hands, "Chaos is female. And as for my mortal parent: dead. Never knew him."

"Then where have you been all this time," Hera sat forward in genuine concern. She may not like half-bloods very much, but everyone deserves to at least **know** their parent.

"I've been wandering; exploring."

Hades snorted in the background and everyone looked at him. His face was twisted into a sneer and it was directed at Celeste.

"Does something amuse you, Hades?" Demeter cast him a warning look.

"Oh, no…I'm just **curious** as to how she could have survived so long, considering she's been on her own." He sat forward in his seat and gave Celeste a look, challenging her to explain.

…

Celeste tossed her javelin, which she still had out, back and forth from one hand to the next. "I have supernatural powers, so I use them."

"Would you care to demonstrate?"

"Sure," Celeste gave Hades a coy smile, "and while I'm at it, I'll return your favor for the **door incident…**"

…

She snapped her fingers and Hades chair disappeared from underneath him. His backside connected with the floor and the entire room burst into laughter. If they had been able to capture the Lord of the Underworld's expression, they could market it.

…

Hades was on his feet in an instant, "YOU CHEEKY LITTLE IMP!"

"Relax, brother. She meant no harm," Poseidon tried to catch his breath. "There's no need to overact."

Hades looked like he wanted to give Celeste a few choice words, but reluctantly calmed down long enough for Zeus to declare their little session over.

"It is getting late and I want to greet my children. I trust you all want to do the same."

Everyone quickly filed out of the room, chattering excitedly as they left. In a matter of seconds, the room was empty…

…

…except for Celeste, Hades, and Demeter.

They looked at each other. Neither party said anything. Celeste willed her javelin back into its bracelet form and turned to exit the room. Before she left, however, Celeste looked over her shoulder at the two gods. She didn't smile, or scowl, or give any facial expression whatsoever.

Her eyes did all the talking and the message was obvious.

…

_I'm back…_

…

She then left the room completely, letting the door close with a soft click.

Demeter rounded on Hades, "What's she doing here!"

Hades stared at the spot where Celeste had once been, "I think you know."

"But it's too soon…**too soon**! Things were supposed to cool down; we were told we wouldn't have to deal with this for a while! Why – "

"You know their ways. As odd as they may seem, they haven't proven us wrong yet."

"There's a first for everything."

"True, but they've dealt with all their struggles and hardships thus far." He looked out the window to where he could plainly see his son talking to that menace of a girl. Hades felt a certain anger begin to boil inside of him.

_If they dare drag __**my son**__ into any of this without my consent…_ he thought.

Hades turned his attention back to his sister, "Right now, they have a huge conflict brewing up. Their main focus is making sure **we all** survive."

…

…

…

…

…

…

_Well, how was it? What is up with Hades and Demeter? Why is Hades so protective of his son all of a sudden? Why is Celeste being so formal and maneuvering around detailed answers?_

_All will be revealed in due time!_

_Remember to REVIEW! They really make my day, even if they are critical I learn from them._

_So far, __Nico and Celeste's Team__ is in the lead for the winning team poll. So remember to vote so that you can have a say (can leave it in a review if necessary)._

_Happy readings and I hope you enjoyed it!_

_Signing out,_

_ Fantasila_

_*Note: I have midterms this week, so I may not update for a while. Sorry!_


	7. Dirt really Does Taste like Dirt

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

*** Artemis-girl123 – **Happy to do so!

*** anon – **Thank you! I really wanted to do something a bit different. I have more ideas just waiting to be shared. They're risky and a bit strange, but I'm willing to be daring. As for the following, if you bookmark the page and check back every week to the Ch.1 page to see if has been updated is a good way to stay with stories. And if you want help doing the following via fanfiction, just ask and I'll help you!

***Miette in the Rain – **Your review made me feel really good and I was having a lousy day, too! I hope you like what I have in store!

…

_In this installment of __Playing with Chaos__; we see a bit of conflict between Nico and Celeste, Nico's cousin interrogating him, our friend Terry, and a fight breaking out, too!_

_**Enjoy peoples!**_

* * *

><p>Nico paced impatiently outside of the Big House. He could hear Celeste and the gods talking inside, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. There would be the occasional shout which would make him jump. He was worried, no doubt. The gods didn't exactly have a reputation for tolerance.<p>

After a few minutes of waiting, the gods began to file out the door. None of them bothered to look at Nico and he preferred it that way. He didn't want their attention, especially before a game where he could have a natural disaster wrought upon him by one of the gods because he may have 'offended' one of their children. That would not help him win the war.

…

Celeste finally came out of the Big House, carrying what looked like a long plastic tube. She would toss it into the air and catch it again. Whatever was inside must not have been fragile. Nico walked over to her and she gave him a broad smile.

"So how'd it go?"

Celeste shrugged, "Well, I'm not dead, so that's a good start."

"What did you do in there, anyway?"

Celeste tossed the plastic tube into the air, "They just asked me a bunch of questions. When did I get here, who have I met, where have I been; things like that."

Nico just nodded, "Do they seem okay with you?"

"Most of them, I guess."

"You guess?"

Celeste smiled sheepishly, "I may have messed with a few of 'em…"

…

He raised an eyebrow, "What did you do?"

"Well, I was a bit blunt toward Zeus and insulted Ares to his face."

Nico remembered the incident with Mr. D and couldn't help but laugh, "You insulted _Ares_ to his face!"

Celeste laughed too, "Yeah, you should have seen how mad he was."

"I can imagine," Nico could picture the war god's face. "So, are you surprised about being the daughter of Chaos?"

Celeste's smile slowly faded and she lowered her eyes to the ground, "…Not really…"

"Not really? How are you not surprised? It's not like you knew already or something."

…

Celeste continued to stare at the ground and refused to meet Nico's eyes. She didn't say anything. He waited for a reply, but none came. He wondered why she wasn't saying anything, unless…

"…Did you know already?" Nico narrowed his eyes at the prospect of her lying to him.

Celeste opened her mouth, but all that came out was a stutter. "Well, yes…"

…

"You said you didn't!" He was generally surprised. Nico had felt as though she were someone she could trust. Until now…

"I know, I lied, but I didn't want anyone to know!"

"Why? You could have told me, Carmen, or Bonnie! We know all about keeping secret, we'd understand!" Nico began to edge closer to Celeste, his temper rising for some reason.

"I know you would have – "

"If you knew, then why didn't you say anything!"

"I was afraid of how you all would react! People must already think of me as some freak, and I didn't want to lose the only friends I have!"

…

Nico roughly brushed past her and began walking back to his cabin, "That's a stupid reason."

Celeste marched angrily after him, "It is not!"

"Yes, it is. People don't tell each other important things because of something like that."

…

Nico felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder and Celeste spun him around to where he was looking her in the eye.

"If it's so stupid, then why didn't you tell me you were Hades' son?"

Nico glared, "Who told you?"

"Terry did."

…

Terry. They may have been friends, but Nico would have to remember to strangle him later.

"Just because I didn't tell you, doesn't mean that I have the same reason."

Celeste crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, "Alright then, why didn't you tell me?"

Nico opened his mouth to retort but stopped when he realized that he had the exact same reason. He didn't want to scare Celeste off, so he didn't say he was the son of Hades. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide it for long, Nico just didn't figure she would find out so soon.

…

They stood there in silence. They just stared at each other. Both felt a bit embarrassed and bitter toward the other. Celeste was the first to break the silence.

"Look, I'm sorry for not telling you. It was wrong to lie and I promise to tell you whatever truths I can from here on out. But for now, can we just focus on the game. It's important we're ready."

Nico ran a hand through his hair, "It's okay…I understand why you didn't say anything. People here really label you 'cause of your parent. I probably wouldn't have said anything either. I'm sorry for getting so mad. I don't know what's gotten into me lately – "

Celeste held up her hands, "You don't have to apologize; you have a right to be mad at me. And as for the crankiness, you're just stressed out because of the whole mock war thingy."

…

Nico smirked, "Mock war thingy?"

Celeste laughed, "Just trying to ease the tension."

Nico smiled, but it was wiped clean off his face when he heard an all too familiar voice behind him.

…

"Aw, isn't that just cute?"

…

Nico looked to his left to see Zeke sauntering over with his cronies and Stacey at his side. He had one arm wrapped around her waist and his hand was tugging at the hem of her short-shorts.

Nico mentally groaned, here he was getting twice the evil he had received at dinner.

…

Stacey was the daughter of Aphrodite and a first class mean-girl. Every time she was around, Nico had to marvel at Bonnie's ability to stay the kind and sweet person she was with someone like that as your sister. Stacey had gotten worse ever since becoming Zeke's girlfriend; she could sic him on anybody who may have made her mad.

"Nico, I never took you as the flirting type; didn't think you had it in you. A good choice too, she'd be a good political ally," Zeke pulled Stacey closer to him.

Stacey sneered at Celeste, "You're right, Zeke. She would be good for a political purpose…considering that's all she would be good for. You weren't kidding when you said that her face could make even Kronos' blood run cold. It's a good thing she's powerful or else a boy would never bother to make time for her."

…

Celeste showed no emotion on her face at Stacey's insult. Stacey gave a cruel smile, thinking she had won the match. Nico knew that she had thought wrong and began to grow nervous. Celeste didn't take offenses from anybody, not even Stacey; which made the situation dangerous because Zeke was standing _right there_.

…

Celeste slowly smiled and began messing with her hair, "Thank you, Stacey, for those **kind** words. It's nice to know that I can get a boy to like me because of my talents and what I can do…instead of what I _do_ with him So tell me, what does Zeke like most about you?"

…

Stacey's face turned a bright red, "Plenty of things, but mind your own business you little mutant!" Nico failed to suppress a snicker and Stacey rounded on him, "You, why are you trying to flirt anyway? I guess freaks must be attracted to each other!"

Stacey then laughed and looked up at Zeke, "Oh, who am I kidding. He's probably just doing it to keep her as a team member, considering he doesn't even have the ability to _like_ someone!"

…

Stacey, Zeke, and his followers burst into laughter and Celeste looked over at Nico. The genuine hurt in his eyes made her want to curse them all. Her wrath turned to confusion at Nico's reaction.

Nico laughed right along with them. When they quieted down, Nico smiled at Stacey. "That was a good one, Stacey. I'll have to remember that and laugh about it when I'm having a good day!" Nico's smile turned crooked, "You know, the same day you get your STD shot…"

…

Stacey's eyes widened and Nico could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. He felt a certain pride begin to rise up in his chest.

He unfortunately only got to enjoy his triumph for a few seconds…

…

Nico didn't have time to react when he saw a blur out of the corner of his eye. He felt a sudden pain on the right side of his face and a force that knocked him to the ground. Nico pushed himself up to a sitting position and put a hand to his jaw.

Zeke had back-handed him, but instead of slapping he'd clenched his hand into a fist. The son of Zeus stomped over to him and roughly grabbed Nico by his hair. He jerked Nico's head back so hard the Nico felt his neck pop and knew he would feel it in the morning.

Zeke's eyes were murderous, "Look, kid, you need to learn to be careful about what you say around me. Understand?" He looked over at his friends and smiled, "So, guys? What should his lesson be?"

"Make him eat his words!" They started jeering and shouting the verdict over and over again.

…

Zeke pulled Nico's neck further back to where the son of Hades had no choice but to look at him head on, "Well, _cousin_, it looks like we've made a decision."

…

Zeke shoved Nico to the ground. Nico was lying on his back as Zeke roughly forced his arms to his side. Zeke then knelt down and swung one of his legs over Nico's body, he put his knees on Nico's arms to where he couldn't move.

…

Zeke put one hand on Nico's neck and used the other to grab a handful of dirt. He pushed down on Nico's throat, making the son of Hades part his lips slightly and gag. Zeke used the opportunity to shove the soil into Nico's mouth. He then grabbed another handful and did the same thing.

…

Nico began to panic. Not only did it taste terrible, but the dirt was hindering his ability to breathe. He began to struggle against Zeke's hold, thrashing his legs and trying to turn his head. The son of Zeus responded by taking another handful of soil and shoving it into Nico's mouth. This time, however, he tried to get it down Nico's throat. The son of Hades began to choke.

Zeke grinned maliciously, "You know, you'll be able to breathe again if you just swallow…"

…

Everything became quiet. Nobody moved as they waited for Nico's next action.

Nico frantically looked around and made eye contact with Celeste. Her eyes were wide and full of dread and she was clutching the plastic tube so hard he thought it would break. She began to shake her head 'no' then mouthed 'don't do it' and 'I'll get Zeke'. Nico shook his head no, he didn't want Celeste to mess with Zeke and end up hurt. So, he decided to do the easiest thing. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists…

…and swallowed.

The dirt felt gritty and slimy going down. It made Nico feel sick to his stomach.

…

Zeke's friends began cheering and Zeke himself laughed as he shoved more dirt into Nico's mouth, all of which the son of Hades forced himself to gulp down. He wondered how much longer he would have to go through this.

Suddenly, he heard shouting and felt Zeke get off of him. Nico rolled over on his hands and knees and spit out what was left in his mouth. He moaned, feeling light-headed, and opened his eyes to see what all the commotion was. What he saw he would never forget.

…

Celeste was on Zeke's back, pulling on his hair and trying to scratch his face. She was yelling something he couldn't quite make out. Zeke was shouting 'Get her off me! Get her off me!' while clawing at her arms and hands. Stacey was screaming and trying to pull Celeste off her boyfriend along with his cronies.

The sight itself was kind of funny…

…

Zeke tripped and both he and Celeste went down. Celeste lost her grip on Zeke and fell off him. His friends grabbed her arms and stood her up. Zeke scrambled to his feet and brushed himself off, glaring at the daughter of Chaos. He pulled a hand back to hit her, but Zeke was yanked backward.

…

Zeke's followers and Stacey vanished and Celeste ran over to Nico to check on him, leaving Zeke to deal with his new issue who had him by the shirt collar…Percy Jackson.

…

"Zeke, would you like to explain to me why you're harassing our younger cousin?"

Zeke held up his hands defensively and gave a timid smile, "Oh, c'mon, Percy! We were just playing."

Percy's hand gripped tighter on Zeke's shirt, "It didn't look like that."

"Well, you know me. Always been one to play rough…"

"True, so next time pick a fight with someone your own size."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say, Percy." The son of Poseidon let go of Zeke's shirt and Zeke began to walk away, "I'll see you tomorrow for war meeting…won't want to be late for that…so yeah."

Zeke practically bolted, leaving Percy to glare at his back the whole time he stalked off. He shook his head and went over to check on Nico.

"You okay?" Percy knelt down and put a hand on his cousin's shoulder.

Nico started to wipe the dirt off his face, "I'm fine."

Celeste helped Nico to a sitting position. She then turned his face to hers and frowned, "You're bleeding."

Nico pulled his hand away from his face and was surprised to see that there was crimson mixed in with the brown dirt. He touched the place where Zeke had hit him and hissed at the pain. Apparently, Zeke had been wearing rings and they had caught Nico's flesh, tearing into it upon contact.

…

Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out a strip on fabric. He handed it to Nico who took it gratefully. Nico pressed the cloth to his cut to stop the bleeding.

Percy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I thought I told you to stay away from Zeke."

"I did. He came to me."

"What for?"

Nico shrugged, "I don't know."

"Well, whatever you did made him really mad. Don't patronize him, Nico, he could seriously hurt you!"

"I know that!"

"Then why do you keep doing it?"

"I don't know! He made me angry, and I just…"

…

Percy groaned and sat down beside Nico, "I thought we talked about this already. You have got to learn to control your temper."

"It isn't as easy as you make it sound."

"I know, so that's why we've got to work on it." Percy smiled and ruffled Nico's hair, "Props, though, for standing up to him. Not many people do that."

Nico swatted Percy's hand away from his head and smiled sheepishly, "Thanks."

"And I promise not to say anything if you cough up that dirt later, too."

Nico smirked, "I don't throw up."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "You're seriously going to digest all that?"

"I have a strong stomach, I'll be fine."

"Sure, whatever lets you sleep at night," Percy laughed as Nico glared at him. He looked over Nico's shoulder at Celeste, "And you, the whole jumping Zeke thing was awesome! I should have caught it on film!"

…

Celeste smiled and blushed; Nico could tell she wasn't used to compliments.

Percy leaned forward and looked closer at her, "Hey, you're the daughter of Chaos." He held out his hand and flashed a warm smile, "Sorry of not introducing myself sooner, I'm Percy Jackson."

Celeste shook his outstretched hand, "I'm Celeste."

"So that's your name? Well, it's nice to meet you Celeste. Might I say, that you most certainly know how to make an entrance?"

Celeste laughed, "Thanks, it took me months to plan that."

Percy chuckled at her joke, "I bet." He turned to Nico, "Hey, Zeke was rambling earlier about you registering your own team. Is that true?"

…

Nico looked at the ground and wrung his hands, "Maybe…"

"Nico -"

"Alright, yes, it's true." He looked at Percy, eyes wary, "You're not mad too, are you?"

Percy cocked his head, "Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"Zeke said you were talking about having me on your team and that you really wanted me, too."

"Oh, that. First off, I'm not mad at you. And secondly, never listen to a word Zeke says. I can understand why you don't want to be on the same team as him."

Nico raised an eyebrow, "Then why are **you** pairing with him?"

Percy ran a hand through his hair again, "If I had my way, he wouldn't be on my team and you would. Not both of you, just _you_. But, Annabeth and Thalia would never let me hear the end of it."

"Oh…"

…

Percy nudged Nico with his elbow teasingly. "Hey, don't be like that; I'm proud of you for starting your own team. That takes courage." He smirked, "And I bet you're just _dying_ to be on the same team as your girlfriend here…"

Celeste giggled at Nico's expression as he turned a deep shade of red.

"I am not! And she is **not** my girlfriend!"

"For now, anyway," Percy laughed as Nico blushed harder. He stood up and smiled, "I need to get going now, have to meet Annabeth early tomorrow to discuss some strategies and I need sleep. I'll see you guys later."

…

He sauntered off toward his cabin, but stopped and turned back around, "Hey, Celeste!"

Celeste sat up straight, "Yes?"

Percy pointed at Nico, "Tell me tomorrow if that one was up all night with indigestion so that I can rub it in his face for the rest of his life!"

…

Nico stood up, "Oh, go away already!"

Percy wagged his finger and smirked, "Temper, temper, Nico! You don't want to strain yourself, especially since you have such a delicate tummy!"

Both he and Celeste laughed at Nico's facial expression. Percy then entered his cabin and vanished from sight.

…

Celeste managed to stop laughing and stand but still had a smile on her face, "I like him. He really knows how to lighten the mood."

"Yeah, Percy's always been that way. Makes me glad he's my cousin."

"He's your cousin?"

"Yeah, Percy's a son of Poseidon."

"Um..." Celeste appeared horribly confused and contemplative. She looked at Nico, "If he's your cousin too, then why is Zeke so…Zeke?"

Nico shrugged, "I really don't know. Their fathers are different, but since Thalia is okay I can't be sure."

Celeste nodded and tossed the plastic tube, which Nico had completely forgotten she had, into the air.

"What is that thing?"

"Oh, this, I honestly have no idea. Before I left the Big House, Hermes slipped it to me, said it was for Terry."

Nico slapped himself on the forehead, "Aw, man! I completely forgot to ask Terry to come to our – our meeting! I practically abandoned Carmen and Bonnie in my cabin. They must be wondering where I am by now."

"We should get back to your cabin then. It's getting late, and everyone else must be asleep. The harpies will be out soon."

Nico turned to the Hermes cabin, "You think you could get Terry for me and then come with us to my cabin. We're discussing strategies and I want him to be there."

…

…

…

Terry wasn't tired. In fact, he was bored. His siblings were talking excitedly earlier about their groups and, as usual, they had left him out. Everyone had drifted off except for him and he was itching for something to happen. Hearing all that talk of battle had gotten him excited.

Nico had asked him to be on their team during sword fighting and he'd gladly accepted. Nico and crew were good friends and there was no one he'd rather fight alongside.

Terry heard the door open and turned his head to see who had come in. It was Celeste, and she was motioning for him to follow her. He quietly got up and went with her. Once they were outside, he was free to ask questions.

"Evening, daughter of Chaos, would you be so kind to tell me why you're kidnapping me from my warm and comfortable bed," Terry said in his best British accent.

Celeste smiled, "Nico's having a war meeting in his cabin and he wants all team members present. Oh! Your dad wanted me to give you this too."

She tossed him a long plastic tube and he caught it. He looked at it, wondering what it was. "This isn't a bomb, right?"

Celeste let out a laugh, "I doubt your father would give you a bomb. He told me that it would come in handy and wanted to wish you good luck."

Terry shook the tube, but it made no sound. He kept following Celeste to Nico, who was waiting for them near the fountain placed at the center point of the ring of cabins.

"Glad you could make it, Terry," Nico walked over to meet them.

"Glad to be here, Nico," the two exchanged a funny handshake that Celeste didn't quite understand.

Nico led them to his cabin and let them inside. Bonnie was the first to smother them with a greeting.

"Where were you guys? I was worried sick!" Bonnie saw the son of Hermes and squealed, "TERRY!" She lunged at him and gave Terry a tight hug.

"It's nice to see you too, Bonnie."

"Hey, sunshine, it's about time you made it!" Carmen waved from her seat in the circle of chairs.

"Carmen, you're sarcastic as ever I see!"

Carmen smiled and waved a hand toward the chairs, "Well, don't everybody just stand there. Let's keep going with this meeting!"

…

Bonnie pulled away from Terry and looked at Nico. She gasped and put a hand over her mouth, "What happened!" She held Nico's face gently to get a better look at the gash along his right cheek.

"Bonnie, I'm fine. Please don't touch it," he winced as her fingers brushed lightly over the cut. He tried to turn away from her grasp, but that only made it hurt more. Bonnie motioned for Carmen to take a look at it since she had better medical expertise.

Carmen turned Nico's face to her and her eyes scanned over the wound. "Who did this? Was it Zeke?"

…

Nico's silence gave Carmen her answer. She stalked angrily over to her bag and began rummaging through. She pulled out two small round containers, walked back over to Nico, and handed it to him.

"Go into the bathroom and clean out that cut with water and the stuff in the blue container. Then dry it off and put the stuff in the red container on it. The ointment will keep it from getting infected, but it won't do anything about the bruise that will show up tomorrow." She lightly pushed Nico toward the bathroom and he went in.

Nico followed her instructions and came back into the room a few minutes later, his cut and the area around it stinging, and found the three girls and Terry looking at his tube.

Nico took a seat in the beanbag next to Celeste, "Well, what is it?"

Terry uncapped the tube and pulled out a long, rolled up piece of paper. He undid the string around it and the piece of paper opened itself. Bonnie shrieked and hid her face behind Terry's arm. The paper laid itself flat while in midair. It stayed in the air and began to shimmer. Terry looked closely at the paper.

On the paper, shapes and outlines began to form. They stood up and Terry could see that it was like a diorama. He could make out tropical trees and rivers, and then he noticed that a mountain was beginning to take shape as well. In a matter of seconds, the group was looking at a miniature island complete with an ocean as its borders and a sky with clouds.

…

"Wow!" Bonnie stuck a hand through the image and it went through like a hologram. "That is so cool!"

Terry felt something in his hand and looked down to find a note in it. He unfolded it and read it aloud, "'Terry, I hope you enjoy this gift! It's the terrain for the game and I hope that you and your team will use it well. When the war starts, you'll be able to use this to make accurate attack plans and geographical marks. Use it well and have the best of luck. Hermes.'"

Terry looked back at the glowing map before him. He silently thanked his dad for being awesome and turned to his stunned teammates. "Well," he said, "shall we start planning?"

…

…

…

…

_Yay! Another chapter up and ready for reading! Hope you all liked it and please REVIEW!_

_How did you like my scene with Percy and Nico's little brother like bonding session? Hope I kept everyone in character._

_I know I haven't updated in forever, but I promise to have a chapter or two or three for you all by and during my Spring Break! _

_Next chapter will deal with some strategies and sentiments!_

_Signing out,_

_ Fantasila_


	8. The Bonnie Way of Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

***Miette in the Rain – **Thank you again for an excellent review! It's nice to know someone is dedicated to reading my story. I also want to thank you for helping me with this chapter and for agreeing to be my "confidant".

***Cryanth – **Bonnie seems to be a real favorite, doesn't she? I hope you like this chapter.

…

_In this installment of Playing with Chaos; we learn of everyone's back story, their current lives, and hobbies and likes._

_**I hope you like it!**_

Terry rolled his holographic map back up and put it back into the case. He gave a content sigh and flopped down onto one of the beds in the Hades Cabin. With all work done, he could finally relax. They'd taken care of all strategies and other issues, one of them being where exactly to set up their camp/base. It had become a heated debate amongst them and Terry thought that they would never get around to deciding a spot at all.

…

Then Celeste made the suggestion of building their base at the mountain located in the western area of the island, which turned out to be quite large. They had originally dismissed the idea, claiming they would be in plain sight, until Celeste said that they should make it _inside_ the mountain.

It sounded impossible and, he couldn't lie, a bit crazy. But when she explained _how_ to make it exactly, the idea slowly went from psychotic to genius. Celeste told them that if Nico used his geokinesis correctly, he could make a network of tunnels and caverns with hidden 'doors' as entrances from the outside. She told them that she could use her own magic to make lighting, electricity, and even install a plumbing system, much to the delight of Bonnie.

The only problem was that Nico didn't want to do it. He claimed that it would take up too much of his time and energy. It took Celeste promising to help him in the geokinesis department together with Bonnie giving him a puppy dog pout for him to finally cave.

…

It was currently silent in the cabin. Nobody was talking and they were pretty much enjoying the comfortable silence. Only Bonnie didn't like silence when there were friends around…

"Now what?" She innocently asked.

"I don't know, think of something." Nico yawned from his lounging position on his bed.

Bonnie hummed to herself and suddenly gave an excited gasp, "Oh! I've got it!" She stood up from her beanbag and began pulling it toward the center of the room where Terry, Carmen, and Celeste were sitting, "Let's have a share circle!"

Carmen gave her friend a look, "A what?"

Bonnie flopped back onto the beanbag, "You know; where we all sit in a circle and tell about ourselves!"

The daughter of Apollo shifted in her seat, "I don't know…"

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Bonnie reached over and raised Celeste's hand, "And Celeste has a right to know about us, we've been questioning _her_ all day. It's only fair we tell about ourselves."

…

Terry sighed, "I hate it when you use moral logic to make us do things." He then smiled, "Alright, I'm in."

Carmen mumbled a 'me too' and scooted her chair further into the circle. They all looked at Nico, who was still lying on his bed with his eyes closed. He cracked one open when he felt everyone staring at him.

Bonnie bounced in her seat, "Aren't you coming?"

Nico closed his eyes again, "No, thank you."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I'm tired and I don't feel so good."

…

Bonnie got up and went over to Nico, "You can sleep after you share." She pulled him up from his bed and started leading him toward the others, "And as for the not feeling good, you can sleep it off later."

Nico groaned and reluctantly sat down in one of the empty chairs, "Fine, but I go last."

Bonnie sat back down and smiled, "Good, then I can go first." She turned to Celeste, "So, what do you want to know?"

Celeste thought hard for a minute, "Uh, where you come from, I guess, and your likes and dislikes and what you enjoy doing."

Bonnie clapped her hands happily, "Good choices, all of us here have some pretty interesting backstories." She grabbed a pillow from the bed behind her and hugged it to her chest, "Hm, where should I start…?"

…

"My full name is Bonnie Deborah Ellery. Personally, I think it's too grand. My birthday is May 28, making me the baby of the group. I'm 13 and my favorite colors are bubblegum pink and white. Those are the only colors you'll probably ever see in my room, just a fair warning for when you come by someday, which you will because I won't let you make yourself all sour like Nico here – "

"Hey!"

"– because you didn't have friends like you should've growing up. It may take a bit of work on him, considering his nature is just plain cold, but I can tell you're a warm person. Anyway, I like going to movies, taking trips with Daddy and Virgie – oh no! I almost forgot to tell you about Daddy and Virgie!"

Bonnie reached for her backpack (bubblegum pink, of course) and began rummaging through. She pulled out a framed photograph and handed it to Celeste. The daughter of Chaos examined the three people in the photo. One was Bonnie, much younger with a rounder face and a missing tooth. The tall man had dark brown hair, a handsome face, and teasing brown eyes with a smile to match. The other girl looked about 15 and had dirty blonde hair with her father's eyes.

…

"I was eight when that photo was taken, five years ago. Daddy and Virgie act the same, hands down, but Virgie's in college now and Daddy's getting all over protective the older I get. Virgie's at Syracuse University going for her degree in journalism. She loves writing and already has a job for a popular magazine company in the area. She's on a tennis scholarship and is doing really well.

Daddy's an anthropologist and travels a good bit. He takes me with him sometimes, but when he doesn't I stay with Terry's, Carmen's, or Nico's families."

Celeste looked confused, "You stay with them?"

"Yup, our parents know each other! They're all either have some godly blood in their veins or are clear sighted. They've known each other for, like, ever. We live in the same town and everything. We all go to the same school, too!"

"Isn't that dangerous, having so many demigods in the same area?"

…

Bonnie sighed, "I'll let Nico explain that to you when it's his turn, since he can do a better job at it than the rest of us, so let's go back to me. Daddy never really knew Aphrodite, I'm a complete accident. You see, my step mom had died of cancer a year before they met. It was her birthday and he'd just had a fight with Virgie, so Daddy was really depressed. He went to a party that one of his old friends was hosting and had too much to drink. When he woke up the next morning, he found himself lying right next to my biological mother! He got out of there as soon as possible and tried to forget everything that had happened; only it would eventually catch up with him.

Aphrodite showed up the next day to tell Duke Ellery that he was going to be a daddy, but he didn't believe it for one minute. On the night of May 28, my dad came downstairs to find me, in a golden baby cradle, sitting on the dining room table, crying my cute, adorable baby head off. When he saw me, he knew everything that Aphrodite had said was true; from her being a goddess to me being his.

Daddy could see things, so knowing he had an explanation for everything he'd ever witnessed helped him get through the initial shock. After that, he started to raise me like any father would for his little girl."

…

Bonnie yawned and looked at Celeste, "Was that enough?"

Nico looked at her like she was crazy, "**Enough? **She wanted to know a little about you, not enough to write a book about your life!"

She shrugged and smiled, "What can I say? I go deep. You're just grumpy because you now have to tell your entire story too in order not to be outdone by me!" Nico grumbled under his breath, but Bonnie ignored him. She drummed finger on her chin, "Let's see…is there anything I didn't explain well enough…oh, right! My likes and dislikes and what I like to do!"

Carmen raised an eyebrow, "You already told her some things."

Bonnie gave a mock gasp, "Telling a person you like going to the movies and traveling isn't enough to let them know who you really are, so I simply _must_ elaborate on my personality!" She played with a curl in her hair, "I love ballet; I've been doing it ever since I was little and I'm going to try out for a good role in my school's next production. I like art and working with colors, which is good since I want to be an interior designer when I get older. I like theatre, a good medieval time or olden days romance novel; you know, the ones with kings and princesses or lords and ladies. My favorite book is actually _Ella Enchanted. _I enjoy some sports, like soccer! I **LOVE** soccer! Surprising yes, for a daughter of Aphrodite, but I love getting muddy and playing in the rain.

I hate clothes and clothes hate me, so it's actually a comfortable fit. I don't like gushy lusty books my sisters read where everyone is sleeping with _everybody._ It is just plain gross. They all say nothing is wrong with it, but I don't believe them. Nope, I'm absticant!

Nico interrupted, "It's pronounced _abstinent_."

"Whatever, all I know is no sex before marriage for me. There are just too many problems and risks if you don't wait, I'd rather be with someone who I know I love who loves me back and is willing to spend the rest of his life with me."

…

Bonnie stretched, "The end."

Celeste opened her mouth to say something, but Bonnie sprung back to life.

"Ooh! And I love bubbles, pogo sticks, brownies, collecting masquerade masks, shiny things, and ketchup!"

…

Terry gave her an incredulous look, "Ketchup?"

Bonnie nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, ketchup!"

"Why?"

"It's just so cool how people can take tomatoes and make something totally _yummy_ that doesn't even taste like tomatoes!" Bonnie gave a dreamy sigh then looked at Celeste, "You've probably heard enough about me, so let's go to someone else now."

The daughter of Aphrodite clapped her hands excitedly, "Alright, who's next!"

Nobody said anything, so Bonnie decided to pick a volunteer.

…

"Terry, you go."

Terry was suddenly alert, "Why me?"

"Because you're closest to me, that's why."

"That's a terrible reason."

"No, it isn't!"

"Yes, it is!"

"Isn't!"

"Is!"

"Terry, just go!" Carmen screamed. If she didn't say something now, those two would keep going at it for the next two hours.

…

The son of Hermes gave an exasperated sigh and gave in, "Alright, alright, I'll go!" He looked at Celeste, "But mine won't be very interesting, I can tell you that much. It's just another humble story from a humble half-blood."

Nico turned to Terry with a raised eyebrow, "Humble?"

Terry held up his hands in surrender, "Okay, I'm not so humble, but my story is pretty basic." He looked at Celeste with a big goofy smile, "So, what do you want to know?"

Celeste shrugged, "Just the same things as Bonnie, I suppose."

"Really? You don't want to know my rank on the Good Looks Scale or if I'm single?"

Carmen slapped him on the back of the head, "Just start already!"

"Ouch, okay fine! Hm, where should I start on the Lifeline of Terry…?"

…

…

…

…

Nerissa drummed her fingers on her opal throne, "Well, that was very amusing."

Rangi nodded and continued to make shapes out of clouds, "Yes, that group they've created is rather interesting. It's fun to watch them, like a TV show only I don't have to pay for it."

Tlaloc yawned and rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes, very entertaining indeed." He sighed and stood up from his throne of polished tiger's eye, "I'm going to go and train."

Rangi gave his 'brother' a look, "You just trained this morning!"

"I know," Tlaloc grabbed his sword that was leaning against the side of his throne, "but as Master of the Earth, I have to constantly keep it in balance. And in order to do that, I have to exercise my powers on a regular basis."

Rangi crafted a lollipop-shaped cloud, snapped his fingers, and the cloud suddenly changed into a real sucker. He put it is his mouth, "This is why I'm glad to have domain over the air. I only have to about _half_ the work you do."

"True, but all your balance requires mental exercising. I could never handle sitting still for hours at a time." Tlaloc walked over to the tall door leading to the back training ground. He stopped short, "Oh, come and get me when Hades' boy tells his story. I want to know what he's like."

…

Nerissa tapped a finger on her cheek thoughtfully, "Looking for another prospective student?"

"Maybe, he appears to have geokinesis. I'll have to see how well he can control it before I make any decisions."

…

…

…

…

…

_Another chapter done! Hope you liked it! I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but this took me a long time to write this because there are a lot of things to think about when writing someone's life. You have to consider future references, other story plots, and how it would affect the character themselves._

_Okay, the next chapter or two will be short like this one, all containing the other character's backstories. I'm going to combine Carmen's and Terry's and the give Nico a chapter to himself. _

_It may take me a while, but I promise to go as fast as I can. So be patient, if you can! _

_Remember to __**REVIEW**_ _and keep checking for updates. The next chapter may be done by Friday, but no promises._

_A special thanks to Miette in the Rain for helping me with their stories!_

_Signing out,_

_ Fantasila_


	9. Terry Time and Carmen's Lament

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

***Miette in the Rain – **Another encouraging review!

…

_Okay, confession time. I made a small mistake with Bonnie's last name, it was Kingston first but is now Ellery. I'll make sure to fix this in this chapter._

_Today, we learn of Terry's and Carmen's stories and a bit about them._

_Hope you like!_

* * *

><p>Terry opened his mouth to begin his monologue, but Celeste spoke before he could get a word out.<p>

"Wait! So Bonnie, your last name is Ellery? Not Kingston?"

Bonnie nodded, "Yeah, why?"

…

Celeste rounded on Terry, "You told me her last name was Kingston!"

Terry cocked his head, "I did? Oh, yeah, I did. Err… sorry, I thought it was Kingston."

Bonnie's jaw dropped, "How could forget my last name? You've known me for years!"

"I said I was sorry! And I know someone whose name sounds close to yours; I get your last names confused. I'm terrible with names." Terry used a hand to smooth out his hair and smiled, "But let's focus on my pros for now, there is a lot of good things about me and to get through them all I need to start.

…

"The name's Terrence Scott Jewell, but everyone calls me Terry. My birthday is February 10 and I guess my favorite color is green. It's the color I look best in. I like games, especially puzzle games. My favorites are Tetris and Rubik's Revolution. I'm always fighting my mom for the high score.

Aw, man, that means that she'll have time to beat mine while I'm here! Darn…Anyway, my mother is actually really cool. Her name is Christine, has a child of Athena in her lineage, and she's a lawyer. She's independent, strong, and usually wins an argument. That's actually what caught my dad's eye.

She denied his advances at first, and that intrigued him so he kept trying. After a long, long time, she finally gave in. They fell in 'love' and all that hoorah and later my mom told Hermes that she was pregnant. He told her he was a god, he eventually had to leave, and my mom was left with me.

She's not home a lot, because of her work, but she always makes time for me. We go places and she actually taught me how to play video games, I think that's another thing Hermes liked about her. She's really athletic and whips my butt on a daily basis. If you ever need help with anything, she's the person to go to."

"He's right, "said Nico, who had remained rather quiet until now, "she's really helped all of us before with something. I've even played a video game against Ms. Jewell before."

Celeste looked at him with a curious spark in her eye, "What happened?"

A ghost of a smile traced Nico's lips, "I was creamed."

…

Terry snorted, "Creamed? Understatement of the year! You were pulverized, plain and simple. You lasted longer than I ever have, granted. But enough about my awesome mother, let's get back to me.

I like learning things. Not math and English, no, more like random facts. I like sports, especially track. Running is my specialty. I always feel like I should be moving, so it's the easiest way to fulfill my need of motion. I like naps, a good action film, Mexican food, being outdoors, going to the beach, and watching stupid videos on the internet.

I don't like reading. Not because I'm dyslexic, but I just don't like books, unless they're graphic novels. I hate cleaning, why do it if it's just going to get dirty again.

The reason I hate stealing is because I get this heavy feeling in my chest whenever I do. I start sweating and my heart beats faster and I just feel really bad about myself. I always wonder how _I_ would feel if someone took something of mine that I treasured a lot. I will take something from someone if they don't deserve it; kind of like Robin Hood."

…

Terry flipped his hair, "Well, that's about it."

Carmen drummed her fingers on her leg, "About time you finished. Nico and I still haven't gone, and we're losing Bonnie."

Bonnie stretched and blinked rapidly, "No, I'm fine. I can…*yawn*…stay awake a little longer…"

Carmen sighed, "I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm going to be quick and to the point. No questions until I'm done and don't interrupt."

…

I'm Carmen Antonia Grant, my birthday is March17, and my favorite color is purple. I like music and playing instruments, but my favorite is music. I love songs, my top one right now is "These Words (I Love You, I Love You)" by Natasha Bedingfield. My favorite pastime is to play the piano that my mom bought.

My mom is probably the toughest person I know. She's been through so much and is still a great person. She chose her own name, Eleanor, because she was never given one. She grew up in an orphanage and had to work for everything that she wanted. Her dream was to become a doctor and she had earned a scholarship for the college she wanted to go to. She went into Pre-Med, loved it, continued to work hard, and was eventually ready for medical school.

Then, Miss Grant unfortunately met _freaking Apollo_. He thought she was beautiful, which she is, and wanted her. She said no, only gods aren't used to not getting what they want. So, he played the gentleman act. Apollo told her she was the only one for him, that she was one of a kind, bought her gifts, offered her trips to Paris, blah blah blah…all while pressuring her to sleep with him. She fell for him and did what he wanted. About a week later, he left her, broken and confused.

When she found out she was expecting, she could have chosen abortion, but didn't. She couldn't go to school to be a doctor, but she still chose to keep me. Since she still had medical training, my mom was able to get a job at the hospital outside of our town. She works really hard. I'm not sure why, but she says it's because she wants me to have the best of what she can give me."

…

Carmen clenched her fists and her eyes narrowed, "I hate to see her so tired and worn down when she comes home, I **hate** that she has to work next to her dream that she can't have, and I **really hate** Apollo."

"Carmen!" Bonnie was awake now.

"Well, I do. He ruined her life, for Rhea's sake! She had worked so hard for everything, and then he comes along and takes it away from her!"

"But…he's your father."

"He is not my father. Apollo's just someone who I have no choice but to have half his DNA."

…

Carmen took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Celeste. I didn't mean to go off like that."

Celeste offered Carmen a smile, "It's okay, I understand. You just have to let it out sometimes. If you don't, you'll end up blowing a fuse at the wrong time in the wrong place."

Carmen smiled back, "Yeah, I guess you're right." She sighed and ran her hands through her long brown hair, "Anyway, I should get back on track. I want to be a radiologist, so that means I have to do well in school. I like school, though. I also like writing. Poems, short stories, lyrics: anything really to express how I feel about something or myself. I also like filming and making my own videos with music.

Heh, I guess music plays a big role in my life. I love it; it's a part of who I am. I can't imagine a life without it. In fact, my iPod never leaves my side.

I don't like athletics. Period. Sure, I'll swim around at the pool, but other than that, nope. I don't like people either. Not all people of course, but about 88% of the population. But if you get on my good side, I'll be your friend for life. Or so Bonnie says…Bonnie?"

…

Everyone looked over to where Bonnie was sitting to find her asleep. She had curled up into a ball on the beanbag and was still hugging the pillow to her chest. Her mouth was slightly open and she was snoring lightly.

"Aww," Terry said drowsily, "she fell asleep." He yawned and his body went limp in his sitting position. Apparently, Bonnie wasn't the only tired one.

Carmen let out a relieved sigh, "Well, if they can sleep, then so can I." She pulled a blanket off one of the beds and draped it over herself, "'Night, you two."

…

Celeste was confused. She may not exactly be a half-blood, but she was pretty sure that sleeping in another god's cabin wasn't tolerated. Celeste turned to Nico, who had gotten up and was now lying on his own bed with his back to her. "Is it okay for them to sleep in here?"

"I don't know and honestly don't care."

"But won't Hades – "

Nico looked over his shoulder, "If he has a problem with it, then I'll talk to him about it, alright?" He turned back around, "And anyway, you're a daughter of Chaos. That pretty much makes you the daughter of _everything_, so I guess you can stay in whatever cabin you want."

Celeste nodded, but the confusion on her face was still obvious. Nico shifted on his bed.

"You can stay here if, you know, you want to. I doubt you want to stay in the Hermes cabin, all cramped and everything. It's a lot more spacious in here, so…"

…

Nico could feel his face heating up. It didn't help that his stomach was starting to churn, whether from the dirt or his discomfort he couldn't tell. He wasn't a very inviting person, so being hospitable wasn't one of his strong suits.

"Um, you can pick whichever bed you like…and there's a bathroom if you want to wash up…"

He decided to just stop talking and waited for Celeste's response. She didn't say anything for the longest time. He looked over to where she was supposed to be sitting only to find that she was no longer there.

…

Celeste had taken the bed closest to the window and had snuggled under the soft covers. Nico sighed, put his head back onto his pillow, then let sleep overcome him.

…

…

…

…

Rangi stretched obnoxiously, "Oh well, Tlaloc, looks like you won't be learning anything about Hades' kid. Sorry."

Tlaloc scowled, "We shall see. I may just have to speed up the process myself."

Nerissa turned to him, eyes narrowed, "If you do anything to him and Hades finds out, well, my money would be on **him**."

"Don't worry; I'm not going to lay a finger on him. He's going to wake up later anyway."

Rangi raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"If you've ever actually eaten dirt, which I doubt, it doesn't settle very well on one's stomach."

Nerissa groaned, "Don't make the poor boy sick, brother!"

"No promises." Tlaloc stretched out a hand toward the shimmering image in front of him and a green light began to glimmer in his palm.

…

…

…

…

_Another chapter done, more characters' personalities revealed, and more on the mysterious gods. Poor Nico, let's hope Tlaloc doesn't do anything too drastic._

_Anyway, this chapter may have been boring. But remember, it's an __informative chapter.__ The kind you learn things from._

_The next one should be longer, but it will be informative like this one and is just about Nico!_

_Happy readings,_

_ Fantasila_


	10. It's a Wonderful and Problematic Life!

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

*** – **Thank you for those compliments! I really do try hard and I do hope we can work together on something!

***Limpet lamppost** – I'm really glad you're enjoying the story, I hope you keep following!

***Miette in the Rain** – Thanks for another review, and another thanks for helping me out!

***Cryanth** – When it comes to Tlaloc, we can only hope! I'm honored to be a favorite of yours!

***Athenalover10** – It seems that everyone wants the same thing. :D

…

_Okay, so this chapter will involve us learning about Nico's current life and about him. If you think it is OOC, I don't really care. This is my story and how I want it is how it will be, hope you understand. I really want to steer away from the whole living alone idea, he deserves to have a family after all he has been through, so that's kind of what I want to incorporate. And anyway, why not? _

_I hope you like it!_

…

…

You know that feeling you get when you know you've woken up too early and no matter how hard you try, you can't get back to sleep. And, the other feeling you get when you wake up nauseous from a deep sleep.

…

Well, that was how Nico felt, and he hated it.

…

The sick, churning feeling inside of him hung heavily over his body like a thick cloud of smog. He tried shifting into a more comfortable position, but nothing helped make him feel better. Nico felt his stomach growl and groaned. He mentally cursed both Zeke and Percy.

…

Zeke was for causing his misery, and Percy was for having something to gloat about for the next month.

…

He turned over on his side to look at his clock so he would know what time it was. The time was 6:42 a.m.

Considering he felt queasy and uncomfortable, falling back to sleep was out of the question. Nico sighed and slowly propped himself up on his elbows, unsure of what to do. Breakfast wouldn't start until 9:30 and it was still dark out. He did a quick scan over the room and found that he was the only person awake.

Bonnie was pretty much in the same position, still hugging the pillow to her chest. Terry had somehow managed to sprawl himself on the floor and Carmen had one arm positioned above her head with the other draped across her chest. Celeste didn't seem to have moved at all.

…

Nico winced and clutched his midsection as a sudden wave of nausea hit him and his stomach rumbled. He desperately began to think of a way that would make him feel less terrible. Once, he'd heard that cool, fresh air and taking a shower helped to relieve sick feelings.

There was no harm in trying. Nico got up from his bed, only to sit back down when a woozy sensation overcame him.

Nico rubbed the bridge of his nose. _Stood too fast,_ he thought. He walked slowly over to his dresser and took out a fresh set of clothes as quietly as possible, careful not to wake anybody.

He went into the bathroom, which he had oh-so conveniently built inside his cabin in order not to have to share with anyone, and closed the door behind him.

The warm water felt nice running over his skin and did make him feel better. But when he got out, dried off, and put on the fresh set of clothes; the queasiness came on him again.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair; this was going to be a _very_ long day. Nico looked in the mirror to see if he looked as bad as he felt and wasn't very surprised to see that he did. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face was devoid of any color. Then he noticed the light bruise on the right side of his face. It didn't stand out very much, so that was good, but if someone were to get close enough they would probably be concerned.

Nico suddenly panicked. When his father saw, he'd want, no, **demand** to know what had happened. Nico would have to tell, Hades would probably freak and hunt down Zeke or scold him for not being strong enough to fight back, and if the earlier happened Zeus would defend his son and the two brothers would probably be at it the entire time they were here.

And if he still felt sick, that would just add to the problem because Nico would have to explain that to his father as well.

…

He groaned for the second time in the past 10 minutes and opened the door to leave his bathroom to go outside to get some fresh air. Nico stopped short when he noticed that someone was awake and looking at his assortment of books on the shelves. When he looked closer, he saw that it was Celeste.

…

"Have you read all these?" She apparently knew he was standing there even though her back was to him. Celeste was tracing her finger over the book spines, scanning over the various titles.

Nico leaned against the doorframe, "Most of them, yeah."

Her finger stopped over one book and she pulled it off the shelf. Celeste turned sideways and Nico could make out the wistful smile on her face, "You like _Wicked_?"

Nico's stomach lurched, but he chose to ignore it. "Are you kidding? I love it; it's one of my favorites."

"Really? It's one of my favorites, too. I love the way the plot – are you alright?" Celeste had turned to where she was facing him completely and was looking at him with worry.

"I'm fine," Nico lied.

Celeste put the book back on the shelf, "You don't look fine."

He crossed his arms, "Well, I am. So there's no need for you to get all concerned." Nico had never been one to admit there was something wrong with him. It was embarrassing for him to feel weak and unwell.

…

'_A problem with your pride,'_ Trinity had said when he had caught a cold, tried to hide it and didn't tell anyone, it got worse, and was eventually down for three days with a fever of 102 degrees, '_You should never hide something when it involves your health and well-being.'_

…

Nico had most certainly learned from that experience, but was still having trouble admitting an issue or fault. Of course, if he had a serious or even mildly concerning problem he'd say something. But if it was something like a headache or cut, oh please!

Then there was also the fact that he was probably the worst patient ever. The simplest feeling of being off made him bad-tempered, especially hunger.

…

Nico turned his attention back to the blue-eyed girl in front of him, "What are you doing up, anyway?"

"I heard the shower turn on and decided to get up."

Nico scratched the back of his head, "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, no, it's alright, really." Celeste gave him a reassuring smile, "This is about the time I normally wake up, anyway, so it's okay."

Nico relaxed a bit. He'd hate to have made her unhappy, considering she'd been relatively kind to him from the start.

Celeste went over to the bed she had slept in and got her shoes out from underneath, "Where are you going this early in the morning?"

"Oh, just for a walk." Nico shifted, "You want to come? I never did get a chance to show you around, and I think now would be a good time before anyone else gets up."

…

He blinked. Never before would he have made an offer like that out of the blue. He didn't mean to say it, it just kind of…blurted out. Why he'd said it was beyond him. Then again, he wasn't exactly in top condition and, therefore, wasn't thinking straight.

…

Celeste looked a bit surprised at his offer as well, "Um, yeah, I'd like to come."

Nico nodded and walked over to his bed to retrieve his sword, which was in its sheath and he'd looped his sword belt around the bedpost. He put it on and continued to the door, "I'll meet you outside."

He closed the door behind him with a 'click' and leaned against the railing of the steps leading up to the cabin entrance. Nico took a deep breath and filled his lungs with the cool, crisp, outside air. He felt relief wash over him when his stomach began to settle down.

The door opened and Celeste walked out. She was wearing the exact same clothes from yesterday, but looked alert and energized. Not a single hair was out of place and Celeste could probably have passed for the perfect picture of health.

Nico's tummy began to bubble again and he felt slightly envious of her wellbeing. There Celeste was, feeling fresh and strengthened. And here he was; worried if he would even last until noon. Her clothes weren't even wrinkled! That was just _unnatural_.

Celeste clasped her hands behind her back, "Well, what's there for me to learn about first?"

Nico shrugged, "It depends. What strikes your curiosity the most?"

"Hmm…Does whether or not you're _actually okay_ count?"

…

He smirked, "Nice try, but no."

Celeste pouted and huffed. She began to scan over the various places that she could see from her place on the Hades Cabin steps. One particular thing grabbed her attention…

"What _is_ that thing?" Celeste pointed to something far off in the distance.

Nico's eyes went in the direction her finger was aimed at, "Oh, that's the climbing wall."

Her head cocked, "A climbing wall…that smashes together…and spews lava?"

"That pretty much sums it up."

Her eyes suddenly lit up, "Awesome, can I try?"

Nico lifted an eyebrow, "Um, how about we wait until other people wake up."

Celeste nodded and then jumped off the steps, "Well, don't just stand there. What else do you have to do here?"

…

…

…

…

Nico practically collapsed onto Fireworks Beach. The last two hours had been _the most __**exhausting**_ two hours of his life. Celeste had managed to see the entire camp in that time. She had dragged him from one place to the next, asking questions and somehow getting him to do things.

…

First, they'd gone to the Amphitheater, where Celeste had been enchanted by the fire. She would constantly think up different things to try and change her mood so that the flames would change color. It was a bit childish, surprising because she seemed like a very serious person. Though, Nico couldn't deny that he wanted to give it a try.

After that, they went to the Arts and Crafts Hut. Celeste asked about all the things you could possibly make and became excited when he mentioned there were paints.

Next was the volleyball court and Thalia's Pine, in which she'd somehow roped him into playing her later and made friends with Peleus. The dragon had acted like a happy puppy when he saw her instead of the fearsome beast he was _supposed_ to be.

Then, they went to the forge. Celeste inquired about magical weapons, and simply left when Nico said they were allowed to make them.

She'd avoided the stables entirely, purposely going around it the longest way possible. Celeste also barely glimpsed at the armory, showing absolutely zero interest in getting any shield (Nico had seen her fight and doubted she needed one).

Last was the arena, where Celeste had _again_ made him promise something and that was to duel her later. Why he'd let himself bend to her will, was beyond his comprehension. Maybe he just didn't have the energy to argue this morning…

They'd stopped by the Mess Hall to see if there was any food out yet. It was completely empty and devoid of any sign that anyone was actually there except for the delicious smells that wafted from the closed kitchen doors.

Normally, those smells would have appealed to Nico's senses. But considering his current state of health, they only made him feel worse. His stomach started turning violently and his head began to spin. Nico turned on his heal and briskly walked out of the building with Celeste calling after him.

…

…

…

He'd gone all the way to the beach and that was where he was now.

Nico took several deep breaths and tried to relax, but failed. Celeste hadn't followed him out of the Mess Hall and he was currently relieved. Nico had no desire to be seen like this. Not by Celeste, his friends, his father, or, the gods forbid, Zeke.

His stomach growled loudly. Nico moaned and shut his eyes. How much longer would he have to go through this?

…

"Was that your stomach?" A voice questioned from behind.

…

Nico cracked one eye open to find Celeste standing over him and holding something that was steaming. _Oh brilliant_, he thought while sitting up.

The daughter of Chaos sat down next to him and held out what he could now identify as a coffee mug. "Drink it," she instructed.

"Why?"

"Do you **want** to stay nauseous all day?"

Nico crossed his arms and glared at her, "I'm _not_ nauseous."

Celeste glared right back, "Fine, you keep telling yourself that. But I'm sure that Percy and Zeke will **love** having something to tease you about for the next **month**." She then held the mug in front of her and out of his reach, "And if you vomit in front of _every single Greek god_ on Earth and humiliate yourself _and_ your dad, then you might as well change that month to a couple of years."

…

Celeste watched triumphantly as Nico's eyes widened in horror. She then tilted the cup slightly as if to pour it out.

"No, stop!" Nico tried to get hold of the mug, but Celeste just held it further away. He then noticed her smirk and realized what she was doing. He glared at her again with as much anger he could muster through his queasiness.

"You're terrible."

Celeste's smirk grew and she held the steaming mug out to him again, "Yes, and you're sick as a dog. So, drink up!"

Nico didn't take the cup and continued to glare at her, so Celeste changed tactics.

"Hm, I wonder what we're having for breakfast," she spoke more to herself than to Nico, "I hope they have those cakes with all the filling. You know…all the _sweet, sugary, gooey_ filling…"

…

Celeste watched as Nico turned away from her and his face paled, he pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his midsection. She mentally smiled, "Oh, and I shouldn't forget bacon. I hope they make it all_ greasy."_ Celeste heard Nico swallow, "And, I also hope they put a lot of _cheese_ in their eggs…I love it when it _melts_ all in there…Why, Nico, are you alright?"

"I hate you," he mumbled through clenched teeth. His complexion was now a sickly shade of green, "You're doing this on purpose."

"Good, you're catching on. Now, where was I?"

Nico snatched the cup out of her hand, "Alright! I'll drink the stupid stuff! Happy?"

Celeste gave a victorious, yet content, smile, "Very much."

…

He scowled at the mug as if it was the cup's fault he felt so bad. Nico hated defeat and considered pouring out the contents of the cup. He then felt his insides bubble and remembered why he was giving in. If he dumped out the mug, then he would later be dumping out the contents of his stomach.

Nico sighed and took a cautious sip. Whatever the liquid was, it tasted of a very mild mint and a hint of raspberry. A strange combination, but it was pretty good. And, it did a **lot** to calm his stomach. Nico started gulping down the drink greedily and savored the taste and its effects. The drink felt hot going down his throat and in a matter of seconds he felt like his regular self.

…

"Now, was that so bad?" Celeste asked when he was finished.

Nico wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand and let out an obnoxious belch. He smirked when Celeste scrunched her nose, "I guess not, but was all that really necessary?"

"Yes."

He huffed and rested his chin on his knees. "You remind me of Trinity," he muttered.

…

Celeste's eyes twinkled with curiosity, "Whose Trinity?"

Nico hesitated to answer, "My adoptive mother…"

"You have an adoptive mom?"

"An entire adoptive family, really. Since my real mom…well…"

Celeste placed her hand over his when she saw the pain on his face, "It's okay, you don't have to tell me." She bit her lip and pulled her hand away, "Terry kind of…already did."

Nico glowered, "What _hasn't_ that idiot told you?"

"That you have an adoptive family."

…

"I guess I should explain that." He ran a hand through his hair, "My dad actually found them for me."

Celeste's eyes widened, "_Hades?_"

"I know, right? I think he did it so I would stay out of his hair, still not sure. But, I can't help but feel grateful to him because I actually _like_ where he placed me."

"Where he…placed you?"

Nico nodded, "You know how Bonnie mentioned us living in the same town last night? Well, we live in a small town in Vermont called *****Andros. My adoptive father told me that the Titan Rhea had blessed the original city for giving her worship or something by protecting the small town from monsters. Even though the original island is still in Greece, when the heart of the West moved, so did the blessing. Why Vermont, none of us know. A good 18% of the population is of some godly lineage and not many people here know about. If it gets too overrun, the area's spell has less effect.

The town's nice; I'm surprised how lucky I am to live there. It's small enough to not be on the map, but still large enough to have its mall, schools, and other stuff."

Celeste listened intently, "And your family?"

"Well, Chiron came and told me last year that my father had a place for me to live. I originally refused, but both of them kept pressuring about it. While I was at camp, Chiron wouldn't let go of the matter. When I was in the Underworld, Hades and I would get into heated, err, _discussions_ about it. After a while, I realized I had no say in the matter and off I went to Vermont.

I live with Trinity and Colton Demirci. They already had two kids but were willing to take me in."

"Did they know you were a son of Hades?"

"Yes, actually. Trinity is a daughter of Polyhymnia, one of the Muses, and Colton is the great-grandson of Hephaestus, so they're not prejudiced like others. Trinity was always on good terms with Chiron, so when he asked about me she didn't to agree to let me stay.

Trinity is awesome, but I'm kind of scared of her. She's really serious on making sure all her kids reach their fullest potential and she doesn't leave me out of the equation. Trinity pushes all of us, but in a good way. She's also obsessed with the arts and other artistic things. She makes us all do…stuff," Nico blushed and scratched the back of his head.

Celeste leaned forward and grinned, "What kind of stuff?"

…

Nico muttered something incoherent and blushed harder. This only made her want to know more.

"C'mon, what does she make you do?"

"Well, she makes my younger sister do ballet and my older brother did dance…"

"And what do _you_ do?"

…

Nico crossed his arms and shook his head, "I'll never tell."

Celeste pouted, "Why not?"

"It's embarrassing. And if it ever got out here, my reputation would be ruined!"

"What reputation?"

He narrowed his eyes and gave he an annoyed look, "_Anyway_, we should focus on the subject matter. Not my private life!"

"Fine, fine, but I will find out someday."

…

Nico rolled his eyes, "Like I said, Trinity is awesome but knows how to make people do what she wants. Kind of like you.

Colton is pretty laid back. He's an engineer and is always doing his own projects at home. He lets me help sometimes and is always showing me how to make things. I can always go to him for help with school, considering he's practically a genius.

As I mentioned earlier, I have two adoptive siblings: Pamela and Mark. Pamela's eight and a pain in the butt. We're always at it, but we can't help but care for each other. Mark's in college, so I don't see him that often, but he's cool and I can always talk to him about anything."

…

Nico stretched and began to stand up, "That's pretty much all there is to know."

Celeste grabbed his arm and pulled him back down, "Now wait a minute, you haven't told me anything about **you** yet!"

"Excuse me?"

"Bonnie said that we all have to tell about ourselves."

"We're still playing that?" He sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you a few things. What do you want to know?"

"Same things as last night, I suppose."

"Okay, then. I like history, reading, being outdoors, art class, sketching, skateboarding, sleeping in, pizza, chocolate, caramel, movies, and sports. I'm on the soccer team at school. Mark and I made a bet that if I won, he's drive me wherever I want to for two months. And if he won, I'd go out for the soccer team at school because Mark said I was letting my talent go to waste. Well, I lost and had to try out.

I don't like nosey people, stupid people, hot weather, group projects, **science class, **white chocolate, the beach, and country music. Oh, and I don't like Zeke."

…

Celeste laughed, "Who does?"

Nico chuckled along with her, "True, true. But never let him hear you say that, or he'll have a fit."

"I'd love to see that!" She pulled her knees up to her chest and turned her head so that she could put it down while still looking at him, "You know, you aren't what I expected."

Nico smiled, "Well, neither are you."

…

In the distance, a horn blew and the pair could faintly make out people shouting. Nico glanced at his watch; it was 9:30.

Celeste looked at the Mess Hall in the distance, "It must be breakfast. The gods will be here soon." She turned back to Nico and her eyebrows knit together in concern for the now tense demigod beside her, "What is it?"

"My dad will be here soon…"

"So?"

He looked at her incredulously, "_So_? What do you mean _so?_ That's the problem: him _being here_!" Nico ran a hand through his hair and began pulling it, "How do you hold a conversation with your father who is Lord of the Dead who doesn't even **like you**?"

Celeste frowned, "Nico, I'm sure Hades likes you."

"How would **you** know?"

"If he didn't like you, he wouldn't come, now would he?"

Nico rolled his eyes. It couldn't be _that_ simple. "He's probably only doing it so that the other gods don't think worse of him."

It was Celeste's turn to roll her eyes, "Why would he care what the other gods think, hmm? Or are you simply _choosing_ to believe he doesn't care for you?"

"Of course I'm not!"

"Then stop telling yourself he doesn't care! I know it may be hard to believe he does, but sometimes you just have to believe something!" Celeste fiddled with a piece of her short hair, "And as for the conversation problem, that's easy. Just talk."

…

"What?"

"You heard me; just talk. Pick a topic, and talk about it." She suddenly focused on something behind him and Nico could have sworn he saw something like electricity flash across her eyes, "And I'm sure Hades will listen to every word you say."

…

Nico looked over his shoulder to see what Celeste was looking at and his blood ran cold. He scrambled to his feet and wiped the sand off his clothes in order to look presentable for the person standing behind him who was causing him so much worry. Nico audibly gulped and tried to compose himself, he knew this person all too well and they did not look happy.

"Hi, dad…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"He can trace your power, Tlaloc. Not good," Nerissa's eyes were narrowed at the image before her.

Rangi shifted uncomfortably in his throne, "I have to agree with our little sister on this one, Hades is going to kill us!"

Tlaloc just sat there with a bored expression, "I'll deal with him when the time comes. And anyway, I got what I needed."

Nerissa looked at her brother, "And?"

"I'll tell you soon enough."

…

…

…

…

…

…

_Yay another chapter finished. I'm sorry it took me so long! I'll try harder, but school is practically plotting against me to make sure I don't._

_I have a quick note: __*****__**Andros - I totally made up this town, so it only exists in this story for literary purposes.**_

_I hope you all liked this chapter and remember to REVIEW! They give me motivation to write faster, so please take the time to say a few words of encouragement._

_In the next chapter, we will see some interaction with Nico and Hades, Celeste getting on Percy and Poseidon's good side, and a bit of clashing between all the Big Three and their kids…I think. Still not sure about the next chapter, but my money in on these three major points. But, I can promise you the games will start soon!_

_Signing out,_

_ Fantasila_


	11. Hell's Secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

***Cryanth – **Thank you! And Nico really should tell people when he's sick, but what can you do, it's Nico.

***Miette in the Rain** – Thanks for everything! You have my absolute gratitude!

*** **– I'll do my best to make it exciting!

_Okay, so this is just a little something for you all to chew on while I compose the other parts. I'm still trying to formulate everything and school is getting really pressuring. Please don't be mad at me, but I need to focus on school more at the moment. But, I will definitely try to update as soon as possible!_

_Hope you like! _

* * *

Nico stood there and waited for his father to say something. He was beginning to feel a bit uneasy under Hades' intense glare. There was something burning in his eyes that made Nico feel a bit puzzled. It was anger that was for sure and maybe even outrage. But even though Hades was scowling directly at Nico, it wasn't meant for him.

That was why Nico was confused; the anger wasn't directed at **him.** And if Hades wasn't angry with him, then who was he mad at?

The fire in his father's eyes suddenly died and he put on an emotionless expression. "Nico," he greeted with formality, "it's nice to see you're doing well." He glanced to Nico's side and sneered, "Care to introduce me to your _friend_?"

Nico's friend introduced herself, "I'm Celeste. As I hope you _remember_, Lord Hades."

…

Hades grumbled something under his breath and glared harder at the girl. Nico began to sense trouble. Whatever his father had against the daughter of Chaos, it must've been bad.

Celeste took this as an opportunity to leave, "I'll let you two do some catching up. See you later, Nico." With that, she briskly walked off to the Mess Hall, leaving the death god and his son behind in an awkward silence.

Neither looked at the other or said anything. Hades was transfixed on something over the ocean and Nico stared at his feet. It felt like ages before the Lord of the Underworld broke the awkward silence.

…

"Shall we join the others for breakfast?" He asked while looking at Nico out of the corner of his eye.

The question caught Nico a bit off guard and all he could really do was nod. Hades turned around and stalked off in the same direction Celeste had gone. His dark robes flowed around him and Nico had to walk double-time just to keep up with his father's long strides.

The closer the two got to the Mess Hall, the more nervous Nico felt. Being stuck at a table with his father didn't seem all that appealing. Celeste had given good advice and deep down he really appreciated (however, he would never admit it), he just wasn't exactly sure how to execute her idea.

…

The other problem was that Hades had heard part of their conversation and Nico wasn't sure how _much_. His dad was a very powerful god, and even though Hades had physically appeared near the end of his conversation with Celeste, there was no telling when he actually started listening in and watching them…

…

"Um…father?" The words were out of Nico's mouth before he had time to think about what he was saying. Hades looked at his son and raised one eyebrow as if gesturing for him to continue, "How long were you…uh…listening?"

"I arrived at the end of your conversation," Hades turned back toward the Mess Hall. They were almost there and could already see other gods and their kids.

Nico got the feeling that his father wanted to say something, but couldn't exactly guess what it was. "No, I mean how long were you watching?"

…

That was the wrong thing to say and Nico realized it all too late.

Hades stopped dead in his tracks right before they entered the Mess Hall. He turned to face his son completely and crossed his arms, "Long enough for me to question this; **why** exactly you were ill this morning?"

Nico looked at his father with a nervous expression, "You saw that? Everything?"

"_Everything_."

…

_Oh no_… Nico gulped and glanced to his right, trying to avoid making eye contact with his father. He tried frantically to come up with an explanation.

"Oh, that? Err…those were just cramps." It came out more like a question, really.

…

Hades narrowed his eyes, "Cramps?"

"Yeah."

"And what, exactly, caused them?" His hands clenched into fists.

Nico shifted his weight from on foot to the other, "Um…Well, I was practicing on how to use my shadows in combat better…and I must have overdone it…"

…

Hades eyes focused more on Nico's face, "What happened to your jaw?" He heard his son swallow and Nico turned the right side of his face away from him. Hades reached out, placed his fingers under Nico's chin, and roughly turned the boy's face back, "Let me see."

Nico grimaced and shut his eyes, "Father, it's not what you think –"

"**Who did this!**"

"No one! I fell and hit my face on the steps over at the Big House ," he pulled out of his dad's grasp.

…

Hades glared and Nico could have sworn he saw fire flash across his eyes, "You're lying." Nico opened his mouth to retort, but Hades stopped him, "Choose your next words carefully, son. As a god, I can tell when certain people are lying, especially when they are my own children."

…

Nico tried to think of something to say, only to realize that he had lost this argument. He sighed and his shoulders sagged in defeat.

"The truth, Nico," Hades glare had softened a fraction and he was drumming his fingers on his arm.

The son of Hades bit his lip and prepared to explain everything his father wanted to know. This wasn't going to end well and he knew it.

Thankfully, someone cut him off before he could even begin.

…

"Brother! It's nice to see you're still alive!"

…

Hades' head snapped in the direction the voice had come from and he had to stifle a groan when he saw Poseidon and his son sauntering over. He didn't have the patience **or** energy to deal with his brother's zeal this morning. Hades knew Poseidon meant well, but his enthusiasm could sometimes be…well, obnoxious.

He heard his son give a relieved sigh and Hades remembered what he was doing. He focused his attention back to the small, skinny boy beside him, "This conversation isn't over, Nico."

Nico's face paled and he groaned, but he forced himself to appear calm for the approaching pair.

…

"Hades, how are you? I haven't seen you since the Winter Solstice; for a while, Hestia and I were worried you'd forgotten about us!" Poseidon clapped Hades on the shoulder.

The Lord of the Underworld rolled his eyes, "I can assure you that I'm fine and very much alive."

"Well, that's good to hear." The sea god smiled, "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't show, with you being so busy and all. You didn't even attend Hestia's banquet party last month! And everybody knows that out of every single god, **you** have the heartiest appetite."

Hades shrugged, "I made time for this event."

…

Nico became alert and stood up straighter at his father's last statement. _It looks like Celeste __**was**__ right, _he thought. His sudden vigilance caught the Lord of the Seas attention.

Poseidon's grin widened, "Is this your boy, Hades? Why, he's the spitting image of you!"

"Indeed he is," Nico saw something like pride flash across his dad's features.

"Well, anyway, there was something I actually needed to ask you about…" His voice faded as the two walked into the Mess Hall, leaving Percy and Nico to talk amongst themselves.

…

"So, how's it going with your dad?" Percy pushed some of his hair away from his face.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Oh, just _wonderful_," he said sarcastically.

"Nico, it can't be that –"

"He demanded to know where I got this bruise _and _why I was sick this morning."

"Ooh…Wait, you were sick this morning?"

…

Nico blushed, realizing the one thing he had hoped to keep from Percy had slipped from his lips, "Well, yes…"

Percy smirked, "So my hypothesis was correct. You coughed up all that dirt, didn't you?"

"I _did not_ throw up! I was just…really nauseous," he felt his face heat up more.

Percy pouted, "Aw, I was hoping to have some blackmail on you." He smiled and shrugged, "Oh, well. At least you're better now."

"Yeah, Celeste gave me some weird, tasty tea and it made me feel fine. I don't know what was in it, but it worked."

"Ah, your little girlfriend's going all 'doctor' on you now. That's so cute." Percy's grin widened and he ignored the son of Hades' scowl. He then scratched his head and looked around, "Where is Celeste, by the way? She's practically been glued to your side since she got here."

"I… don't know." Nico's brow furrowed in confusion, "Celeste was with me a few minutes ago on the beach. She left when my dad came and kind of…well, vanished." He did a quick scan over the Mess Hall, "I thought she would be here."

…

…

…

…

…

"Hades, have you noticed anything strange lately?"

Hades raised a brow, "Strange how?" He was beginning to feel suspicious; there was now no trace of the smile that had once been on the sea god's face.

Poseidon wrung his hands, "Well, not so much strange as it is…_unusual_. It normally wouldn't be any cause for alarm, and I'm sorry to bother you about this since you're the only other immortal related to earthquakes and such besides me -"

"Get to the point, brother."

"…The tectonic plates are moving."

Hades rolled his eyes, "They are _always_ moving."

"That's not what I meant! They normally tend to stay in one particular motion for a prolonged amount of time, but now it's madness! Some plates have stopped moving, others have either changed direction or are turning clockwise, and, get this, subduction zones are receding."

"What?"

"Regularly, I wouldn't care so much. But the changes are just so sudden, and **I'm** not doing it!" Poseidon gave Hades a skeptical look, "You wouldn't know or have anything to do with this, would you?"

…

Hades felt his heart rate increase slightly. That Earth god was pushing it.

He forced himself to calm down; he couldn't have his fellow immortals finding out about, well, his _other_ fellow immortals. They would find out eventually, but there was a time and place for everything and this wasn't it. Hades couldn't stop the inevitable, but it was his place to delay it as long as needed even though he would seriously pay for it later on (courtesy of his siblings).

And so, Hades did what he had to do.

…

He lied.

"No, but I will certainly look into the matter."

Poseidon heaved a sigh of relief, "Thank you, I'm beginning to worry mortals will notice soon." He began to walk off but stopped and turned back to Hades, "Oh, and try to keep this on the low."

Hades just nodded and Poseidon went back to his son. He did his best to control his composure even though irritation and dread was bubbling up inside him.

…

That Earth god was _**really **_pushing it.

…

In fact, all of them were pushing it. In a couple of weeks, other gods would begin to notice strange changes just like Poseidon had.

There would be an increase in tornadoes, strong winds, and storms not under the influence of Zeus; bigger and stronger ocean waves that would have nothing to do with Poseidon; temperatures would rise and fall in areas where it would be unlikely for that to happen; there would be heavier snowfalls, brighter sun and moon light, and…well, the list went on and on.

He subconsciously rubbed his wrist, which had been under an illusion spell for the past five decades. The spell hid a small, yet elaborate and noticeable, tattoo. A symbol and reminder of the role he had taken regarding –

…

Hades grimaced; he didn't want to think about the past. It was unnerving and depressing, even though it held some of the best moments out of his entire existence.

He looked at his son, who was now sitting at his designated table, and the anger he felt when he laid eyes on him earlier that morning returned. Nico _still_ reeked of Tlaloc's magic and Hades remembered **why** he was so mad at the deity.

He went to join his son and made a mental note to visit the Lord of the Lands later that night.

…

Hades was going to have a _talk_ with Tlaloc…**and** "Celeste".

He chuckled, what a petty cover-up name to hide her true one.

...

_And_, he thought mockingly toward the girl, _to hide your __**real**__ title_.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

_Hoorah, I am done! Again, I'm sorry for being M.I.A. lately. I'm also sorry to say that I have __**three **__projects due in school soon, so there may be no chapters for a while. :(  
><em>

_I hope you enjoyed this and REVIEW! It doesn't have to be all long and heartfelt, just a few words of encouragement. And who knows, maybe if I get enough I'll update sooner.*hint*hint*_

_So next time we'll see Celeste getting on Percy and Poseidon's good side, a bit of clashing between all the Big Three and their kids, (I know I said these two last time, but now I mean it), Hades' talks with Tlaloc and Celeste, and – oh my – does Celeste have a fear?_

_Forever and always,_

_ Fantasila_


	12. Why Do My Feelings Go?

_This is just a quick little tit-bit of story line so that you all have something while I'm going through exams. Just something so that you all know I am not dead. I promise to thank all reviewers in the official chapter._

_This is from Celeste's perspective and I hope you like._

Celeste trudged her way to the Mess Hall, every step feeling like a lash to the soles of her feet, willing every wound that had been freshly cut to close. It was days like these she was ever so grateful to have healing abilities. She watched as the last area of open flesh slowly mended and took a moment to wonder **why** she took this every day and from the person who even Hestia could hate.

…

Rin: the personification of Dark Balance.

…

She hated Rin with a deep and burning passion, yet there was nothing Celeste could do _(legally _anyway_) _abouther. Rin was her head caretaker, and a demented one at that. Her training exercises involved beatings and curses. The latest had been undeniably gruesome.

Rin had expressed a sudden interest in anatomy, and liked to use Celeste as her test subject.

…

She would take sharp tools, cover them in Pepper Acid, then cut and tear into the young girl's skin. Rin would twist the utensils, dig in deeper, and then roughly pull it back out again. Occasionally, she would leave the room entirely, giving Celeste no choice but to pull them out herself.

Rin would inflict spells upon the child, allowing her to see horrors and things so terrible even Kronos would be scarred for eternity. She's make Celeste burn from the inside out, force her to live out nightmares, and, this was the worst, steal her emotions.

…

She'd drain Celeste of any happy feeling for as long as she could. Even though Celeste was still a child, a _baby_ on godly terms, she was more powerful than Rin. This meant she could only take them away for so long and they would go right back to Celeste, yet Rin would do it repeatedly. Love, care, hope, tranquility, joy, every other good emotion; they would all go away for some time and Celeste would feel so empty and dead.

Dead.

Celeste didn't have to die to know what it felt like to be dead. So empty, so gray, so desperate…so alone; only she couldn't die. She never would until that day.

…

Celeste balled her fists, recognizing the feelings of anger taking over.

'_I don't deserve this,' she_ thought, '_I don't deserve any of this. __**What**__ have I __**done**__ to deserve this? Why do I have to go through so much pain and suffering? Every other immortal gets to live in luxury, even the ones here! And Chaos knows they don't deserve it; __**Scheming, lying, lazy, arrogant, selfish, appalling, rapist, prostitute-like, sons and daughters of bitches and bastards!'**_

…

She slapped a hand over her mouth, mentally cursing herself for…well cursing. She tried so hard never to use profanities, but she had been so upset that they had just slipped out. Celeste felt a sudden sadness overtake her.

'_I shouldn't have thought that, I haven't even met them and I'm already degrading them.' _Celeste sighed and gracefully sat down on the grass, so close but not bothering to enter the Mess Hall, _'I'm sure they all have nice qualities, and I bet some of them have gone through the same things I have. I hope not, though. What I go through is terrible and nobody deserves to – '_

…

Celeste whimpered and clutched her head as an all too familiar presence enter her mind.

_**Of course they don't deserve it, you insolent brat! They are Olympian gods,**_ Rin's voice screamed in her head, _**some of the mightiest! And even the worst of them are more than you'll ever be worth. You're a curse, a burden, more twisted than the demons of the Abyss! You deserve no more than you have, sleeping on floors, scavenging for food, and losing everything and everyone you care about. Why do you think that, even though you are immortal and have absolute power, you bring nothing but unhappiness to those around you?**_

'_I do make people happy! I've even made Hades happy back when –'_

_**Minor flukes in fate! You may bring temporary happiness, but nothing ever lasts! Nobody cares about you, why do you think they stay away? To avoid you! You haven't a friend in the world –**_

'_I have friends! Nico, Bonnie, Terry, Carmen; they are all my friends. And people do care about me!'_

_**Don't interrupt me! The people who care about you are all pretending; trying to stay on your good side. And as for the friends, the minute they find about you they'll abandon you.**_

'_You are lying.'_

_**Am I?**_

…

Rin's last words echoed in her mind as her telepathic connection with Celeste ended. The girl slowly lowered her hands from her head and they fell limp in her lap. She took a deep breath and spread out her fingers over the cool green grass.

Rin was lying, and both of them knew it. Celeste had proven people cared about her long ago, and the virtues of her companions had recently been tested. They were loyal, through and through.

The only reason Rin did such things was to make Celeste feel hopeless –

…

Celeste's hands clenched the grass and she realized something.

Rin had taken the feeling of Hope, probably for interrupting her or just because she felt like it.

…

Celeste felt no hope that Rin was lying because it was gone for the moment. She only had logic and fact to go off of now for the next hour.

…

Celeste sighed and plucked a single blade of grass out of the ground. She held it in front of her face, examining every detail. Then, burnt it to nothing but ashes and watched as they floated off in the breeze. She pulled out another and did it again, and again, and again. So quickly they burnt that if the blades had nerves, they wouldn't even have time to register the pain of burning. They wouldn't feel a thing.

…

"Well," Celeste whispered to herself as she stopped burning the grass and covered her face with her hands, trying to stop the tears that had been building up for years from flowing out, "maybe it's better to not feel at all."

…

…

…

…

_Yes, it is sad and depressing. I'm sorry if you are confused, but I wanted to do something from Celeste's perspective. For a bit of a change. _

_Real chapter will be next, and I will thank those who reviewed for my last one in that one. FEEL FREE TO REVIEW THIS ONE! _

_Signing out,_

_ Fantasila_


	13. And So It Begins Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

(Sorry if you get two messages saying I updated, the first one still needed revisions so I deleted it and replaced it with this one. So don't freak out and again, sorry! :O)

For Ch.11

***Xylia Ren – **Thank you! I'm not a big fan of Zeke or Stacey either, but they'll get what's coming later on! :)

***Tinkbruna – **Aww, you think it's perfect! :D

***Cryanth – **Your reviews get better every time! Thanks for reading so much, and I update every 1½ or 2 weeks.

***Brownies** – I'll try! :)

***J. – **Thanks, I'm glad you like it! :D

For Ch.12

***Cryanth – **Thank you! Being tied to Asilda is an honor! I really love her stories and can't wait for her to write again. :D

***J. – **I was aiming to do just that! :)

***Miette in the Rain – **I'm building up to her back-story. :)

_Alrighty then, I have another chapter for you all! I'm sorry for taking forever, but guess what's here? SUMMER VACATION! This means I can take a break and focus on what I want to do and such and you all will have faster chapter updates! _

_**(A quick thing to mention, you guys still need to vote! If you haven't done it yet please do!)**_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Bonnie had been enjoying a spectacular dream involving double-fudge brownies and the FIFA Women's World Cup when it was ever so rudely interrupted by a loud, blasting horn. She cracked her eyes open and then shut them tightly after a bright light shone into them. Bonnie gave a content sigh and hugged her pillow tighter.<p>

Then she realized something…

…

This wasn't her pillow.

Nor was this her bed. In fact, it wasn't a bed at all.

…

Bonnie gasped and sat up quickly, accidentally flinging the pillow she had been cuddling into Carmen's face.

The daughter of Apollo woke up with a start, "What in the – Hey!"

"Sorry," Bonnie replied while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Carmen grumbled and pulled her blanket back over her head, falling back to sleep the minute she blocked out the sunlight shining in from the windows.

Bonnie began to blink rapidly, trying to recall where she was. She yawned and examined her surroundings. The black wallpaper, black bedspreads, and gray pillows immediately reminded her that she was in the Hades Cabin.

'_Hmm, the Hades Cabin, _Bonnie thought, _'the summer cabin of Nico, son of Hades, who is ruler of the Underworld. There isn't enough pink in this room…or white.' _She stretched and wiggled her toes, examining the nail polish on them. _'Oh, there's some pink and white. On my toes! Now the room is complete! All that's missing is a nice breakfast to start off the –'_

…

Bonnie's train of thought froze, vanished with a "pop", and a strange new one took its place.

'_Breakfast means morning…morning means a new day…that day is today…the gods are coming today…Aphrodite is coming today…Aphrodite is my mother…'_

...

Her heart skipped a beat and Bonnie felt as though her mind had just shattered like glass. She let out an ear-piercing shriek of panic, unintentionally waking up Carmen for a second time.

Carmen flung the blanket that was covering her form off of herself. She used her hands to prop herself up and glared at Bonnie, her eyes burning with irritation.

"What on Earth are you–?" Carmen stopped short and stared at the sight before her.

Bonnie was pacing around Nico's cabin, chattering quietly to herself and flailing her hands as if she was extremely excited about something. Her eyes were wide and filled with dread.

"Bonnie what's wrong?"

"Problem! There's a problem!" Her voice was a couple of octaves higher than usual.

"Well, yeah, that's obvious. I mean what **is** the problem."

"Parents – gods – today – here – visit!" Bonnie spewed these words out as if she couldn't quite piece them together to make a real sentence.

"Oh. _Oh_… Oh, joy." Carmen ran a hand through her dark brown hair and tugged slightly. Today was the day she met her father, Apollo. Apollo the sun god, the god of medicine, the god of prophecy, the god of music…

…

Apollo, the jerk.

…

Carmen had no desire to 'get to closer to' him, much less talk to him. In fact, she didn't even want to see his _face._ Apollo had hurt her mother, her precious mother, more than anyone had and probably ever would, and she refused to let him hurt her too. She didn't want his gifts, his adoration, or even a second glance. The easiest way to avoid getting hurt was to simply ignore the people you know have the potential to do so.

And that was exactly what Carmen was going to do, keep his out of her life as much as possible.

…

Carmen was broken from her thoughts when Bonnie suddenly swung opened the Hades Cabin door, allowing more blinding sunlight into the supposed to be dim room.

"Bonnie, where are you going?" Carmen stood up and looked at her friend in concern when she began to speed walk out the door.

The strawberry blonde looked over her shoulder, "Presentable! I have to look presenta–Ack!"

Bonnie had still been walking when she turned around to look at Carmen, which meant she wasn't looking where she was going. Bonnie didn't see the steps in front of the door and ended up falling off the Hades Cabin porch face-first.

She pushed herself off the ground and took off in the direction of the Aphrodite Cabin.

Carmen opened her mouth to call after her friend, but all that came out was a sigh. She had her own problems to worry about now.

* * *

><p>Bonnie ran towards her cabin as fast as her legs would allow. Oh, there was so much she had to do. She had to comb her hair, brush her teeth, change her clothes…pretty much everything Bonnie could do to make herself seem less pitiful to Aphrodite.<p>

She burst through the door of her cabin and froze.

…

There, staring at her, were her siblings…and her mother.

'_No_,' Bonnie thought, _'no, no, no! This isn't right! Shouldn't Aphrodite be at the Mess Hall or something?'_

…

"Where were you, Bonnie? You never came in last night."

Bonnie searched for the source of the voice who asked the question and her eyes unfortunately fell on Stacey. Her older, evil half-sister was sitting on her bed and holding a compact mirror while applying eyeliner.

"I was…out."

Stacey pursed her over-glossed lips and looked at Bonnie skeptically, "Really, out where? Finally lost your virginity, have you?"

The girls sitting around her broke into a fit of giggles and Bonnie's cheeks turned a bright shade of red.

"I wasn't out doing that!"

"My mistake then," Stacey fluffed her hair and flashed a cruel smile. "I don't know what I was thinking to begin with. I mean look at you; hair always tousled and tangled, freckles, and such boring brown eyes. Who would ever want that?"

Most of the girls in the room burst out laughing at this cruel joke and the few brothers she had looked at her with pity written all over their faces.

Bonnie immediately felt herself deflate and her "bubbly attitude reserves" dropped, going from its usual 120% to 60%.

…

"Come now, dearies, we're all beautiful in our own way," Aphrodite spoke up from brushing her youngest daughter's hair.

Bonnie felt slightly better that her mother was defending her…in a way. She had forgotten how beautiful her mother was, probably because she'd only seen her once. One of the perks you get when you're a goddess of love half-blood is that you see what she **truly** looks like. Aphrodite had full lips covered in a light pink lipstick and her makeup was set to match. She had bright blue eyes and golden blonde hair with thick curls that framed her face perfectly. She had a light pink dress on and gladiator style sandals.

The goddess of love stood up and clasped her hands together. She smiled at each of her children, "Alright, it's time for us to join the others for breakfast, which means that you all need to look alive, hold your heads high, and flash smiles that turn heads. If anyone knows how to make an entrance, it's us."

And with that, the Aphrodite Cabin marched off to the Mess Hall, both them and their mother looking like pictures out of a magazine.

…

Well, most of them…

…

Chiron was allowing everyone to wear normal clothes for the duration of this event, but that didn't mean much to Bonnie. While she knew her sisters packed suitcases full of designer clothes and customized shoes, Bonnie only brought what she considered 'normal clothes'.

She had quickly changed during Aphrodite's little speech, but Bonnie knew she would be overshadowed by her sisters. While the other girls were tight fitting shirts and shorts that could pass for underwear, Bonnie was wearing a denim skirt that came just above her knees with pink embroidery and a pink and white tie-dye shirt she had made with her half-blood buddies they had made at a school event.

She had been looked at funny the entire way to the Mess Hall, but the one thing that was going to do her in with her sisters were her treasured bubblegum-pink cowboy boots. They were a gift from her dad when he'd gotten back from an anthropologist's convention in Texas. He'd seen them in a shop window and thought they'd be perfect for Bonnie. The boots were one of a kind and couldn't be replaced, and Bonnie planned to pass them down to her own daughter one day.

…

Her sisters thought they were vulgar, but Bonnie valued them as if they were made of silver and gold.

…

The Love & Beauty Clan had reached the Mess Hall and strutted in as if they owned the place. Almost every male head turned and looked at them with barely suppressed glee. Some of them had smiles on their faces that Bonnie found sickening and her blood ran cold. If there was one thing she couldn't handle, it was being stared at. She didn't have stage fright or anything like that; it was being stared at like a piece of meat that bothered her.

She slid in at the very end of her cabin's table and didn't bother to partake in any of their gossipy conversations. Bonnie made quick check-ins on her friends to see how they were doing so far.

…

Terry looked unsure of himself and a bit lonely. Hermes had a lot of children and Terry was the one that stood out the least.

…

Nico looked nervous. She would be, too.

…

Carmen was brooding and keeping a healthy distance from Apollo.

(Translation: If Carmen moved two inches to her left she would fall off the bench entirely.)

…

Celeste…was gone?

Bonnie looked around for her friend, but Celeste was nowhere to be seen. Where could she have gone? The daughter of Aphrodite made a mental note to find her new buddy later. Since Celeste was the only one here without a parent, she needed _someone_ to hang out with, even if it was with the perfume drenched Aphrodite kids.

The nymphs came around carrying all sorts of breakfast foods and Bonnie piled her plate high with all her favorite things. She was about to take a bite out of a big and fluffy strawberry muffin when she heard a scoff further down the table.

"You aren't seriously going to eat that are you?" Stacey's shrieking voice pierced the air.

She looked up to see who her harpy of a sister was talking to, only to find everyone looking at **her**.

"Do you know how many carbs are, like, in that?" Stacey scowled and took a quick glance at Bonnie's plate, then Bonnie. She smirked and scrunched her nose, "And you could definitely do without it. You need to drop a few pounds before people start thinking that's not baby fat on you."

…

That did it.

Bonnie had endured enough.

Stacey could insult her hair, her eyes, and even her _face!_

But nobody, **nobody**, insulted her health.

…

Bonnie worked hard to maintain a healthy, lean body. She wasn't anorexic and didn't have any eating problems, but she needed to have a healthy weight for her ballet training. Her instructor emphasized having a balanced weight and diet, that included indulging even now and then to know you didn't have to obsess about it.

She could eat this muffin if she wanted to. One of the jokes she and Nico shared during soccer and the more graceful of sports season (she swore never to tell what he did) was that one of the perks about exercising as much as they did was that you could eat whatever you wanted, even if it was deep-fried and smothered in fudge.

…

Bonnie took pride in her figure and was more than ready to defend it.

She turned to Stacey and gave her a famous 'sweet, bubbly Bonnie' smile, "Yes, Stacey. I am going to eat this muffin…because unlike you, I don't rely on _**laxatives**_ to stay thin."

…

The look on Stacey's face was priceless. She huffed and turned away from her younger half-sister with her nose in the air. Bonnie took a large, triumphant, and defying bite out of her muffin that not only tasted heavenly but had her two favorite colors rolled together in one perfect puff.

Bonnie chanced a glance at her mother to see what she thought of the previous verbal battle. Much to her surprise, Aphrodite was smiling.

…

And not just any smile, it was almost…proud.

…

Bonnie made eye contact with her mother and Aphrodite's smile widened. She winked at her daughter before returning to her previous conversation about the difference between hairspray and hair gel.

The strawberry blonde haired girl blinked and turned her attention back to her muffin, though it no longer held her complete interest.

…

Bonnie was now extremely curious as to why Aphrodite had smiled that smile.

…

…

…

…

…

…

_Part 1 of this chapter is now finished! I hoped you all enjoyed it and you can expect to see Part 2 soon and later part 3! _

_Okay, Part 2 will have Carmen and Terry interacting with their siblings and parents. That is bound to be interesting (hint hint). Part 3 will have Nico, Celeste, the Big Three, and their kids._

_Dividing it up into sections is the easiest way to make everything fit. I know you all probably hate me for taking so long to update, but writing this takes precious time that you can't get in a day or two. _

_I appreciate your patience with me and please review. I repeat, __**REVIEW**__! It not only gives me insight on how you all feel this is going, but also attracts more readers when they see how many reviews a story has. C'mon, we all look to see how popular a certain story is before reading it. It's only natural!:D_

_If you all have any ideas or requests for interaction scenes between the gods and their kids, the half-bloods with each other, or even the gods with each other, feel free to share. You can be part of this story too!:)_

_Thanks for reading, _

_ Fantasila_


	14. And So It Begins Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

***Xylia Ren – **Thank you! I'm working on updating faster.

***Cryanth – **Thank you for being such a faithful reader. I always look forward to your reviews! :)

***J. – **I feel so loved! :D

***Artemis-girl123 – **Thanks! :)

_Today's reading will consist of an insight into the experience Carmen is having with her godly parent. You will be learning more about this character and her nature in this chapter._

_I hope you enjoy this installment of __Playing with Chaos._

_Happy Reading!_

* * *

><p>It was 11:00 in the morning.<p>

And a certain daughter of Apollo wasn't looking forward to spending the **entire day** with her "father".

…

Carmen trudged at the very end of the line that Apollo was leading out of the Mess Hall. He was talking enthusiastically to his children about something. She could care less about what was coming out of his mouth, as long as he stayed away from her.

She didn't want to talk to him about what he obviously wanted to talk about. Apollo kept giving her side glances every now and then. It was clear he was trying to make eye contact with her, but she simply ignored it. After a while, he would give up and avert his attention, only to do the exact same thing a few minutes later.

…

Carmen couldn't avoid him forever, and Apollo knew that too. But, she would try harder to evade her father than Terry did when attempting to open a jam jar (cliché, but actually quite funny, especially when Nico would do it for him after about 20 minutes of useless twisting on Terry's part).

…

She flopped onto her bed with as much attitude she could muster after the Apollo Cabin inhabitants returned to their housing and pulled out a thick novel. Her siblings were currently firing questions at their dad as if their lives depended on it, and he gladly answered them like he lived for the attention (which he did, in Carmen's opinion).

…

"Hey, Dad, is if fun to drive the sun chariot?" A young boy whose name was Alex asked Apollo.

The sun god smiled, "You bet it is! Driving that thing is the best feeling in the world."

A girl, Sierra, who was Carmen's age, piped up, "What's it like up there?"

"Only amazing!" He leaned back in the chair he was sitting in and propped his feet up on the stool in front of him, "The wind in your hair, the warmth, the **rush**; it all makes you feel so awesome."

The kids all began to 'ooh' and 'ah' and Carmen's annoyance hit it maximum, she could practically hear steam coming out of her ears. She'd been irritated since the day started, granted, but now it was almost disgusting. Carmen turned onto her side to where her back was to Apollo, making it easier to block him out.

…

Apollo saw his daughter shift her back to him out of the corner of his eye and he sighed. If he wanted to talk to Carmen, he needed to do it in private. He doubted that she would appreciate onlookers when they started a conversation on a very…touchy subject.

He flashed a toothy grin at the kids sitting in front of him, "Hey, you all want to go shoot some arrows? What a better way to show off for your dad, am I right!"

Children began to scramble over each other, trying to grab their bows and arrows and be the first one out the door. Apollo chuckled at their antics and exited out the door, hoping to get the chance to talk to Carmen this way. Everyone would be spread out and nobody could listen in. Plus, when he talked to her it would look like he was giving her arching tips or something.

…

In a matter of moments, the cabin was empty…except for two people. Apollo thought his plan was sure to work; only he didn't count on Carmen not coming along.

…

She had stayed behind, not even moving from her position on the bed. Everyone had been either too excited or distracted to notice Carmen hadn't left and by the time they did she would be long gone. It wasn't just that she wanted to stay from Apollo, but Carmen also didn't want to ruin her siblings' good time with her bad mood. She knew it would be better to just stay away then faking happiness.

…

After a brief moment of silence, Carmen heard very light footsteps coming towards. For a panicking moment, she thought it was Apollo. Then she felt someone poke her in the shoulder and the bed shake some and Carmen knew who it was.

"Carmen, why didn't you go with everyone else?"

…

Carmen felt herself smile and then shifted to her other side. She came face to face with a set of big, bright green eyes that held immense amounts of curiosity.

"I could ask you the same thing."

The little girl giggled, "But I asked you first."

"Hm, you did, didn't you?" Carmen's smile grew when the child nodded her head vigorously, blonde curls bouncing everywhere.

"Yes, yes, I did! Please tell me, I wanna know! I can keep a secret!"

She chuckled, "Well, I wouldn't call it a secret." Carmen sat up in her bed and little Penny promptly curled up next to her, "I guess I just need some alone time right now."

Penny blinked, "Oh." She sat quietly next to Carmen for a few seconds before blurting out, "I didn't go because **I** wanted to stay with **you**."

…

Her sister raised an eyebrow, "Really? Why?"

"Because," she said while throwing her arms around Carmen and giving her a big hug, "you're my big sister, silly!"

Carmen laughed and returned Penny's hug.

…

Penelope Adele Holland was not fully Carmen's sister…at least on biological terms. True, they were half-sisters, but Penny always thought of Carmen as a 100% sibling. Carmen felt the same way, too…probably because she was there when Penny was born.

…

To make a long story short, Carmen usually explained Penny's story to those who asked with 5 major points: Apollo got Miss Adele Holland (who was in college going for a music major) pregnant, he sent her to Ms. Grant for help, Ms. Grant took Miss Holland in, Miss Holland lived with them until the baby was born, Penny came along…and Miss Holland didn't make it.

She'd developed a close relationship with Penny's mother in the small time they'd known each other. To Carmen, Adele Holland had almost been like an older sister to her. She would do things with Carmen when her mother was held up at work like play games or make up stories. Other times they would just talk, usually about random topics such as what flavor of ice-cream is the best or what sparkles are made of. Carmen may have been young, but she would always look forward to their time together.

…

Carmen had only recently turned 9 when she got her first taste of death.

…

She hadn't been able to fully grasp the concept of being dead; all she could really understand was that a friend was gone forever…and who exactly was responsible for it.

…

Carmen never blamed Penny, not once. She was only an innocent baby who was the result of a mistake and had no control over the situation.

Nope, she blamed Apollo.

…

That was when Carmen first learned of her father's true identity; after the death of Adele and the day her Mother traveled to Camp Half-blood to give Penny to them. It was the best way for Penny to be safe since having two demigods under the same roof was a death wish.

That day was also when she first hated Apollo.

…

Carmen was young, hurting, and in need of a way to let out her sadness. The easiest and best way to do it in her mind was to blame someone. After a while, she began to see that every role he had played in her life was never a good one. Those thoughts stayed the same and as she grew, so did the loathing.

To her, he'd destroyed her mom's dreams, was a murderer, and practically orphaned a child.

Those were **more** than enough reasons for Carmen to hate a person.

…

…

The brunette put her thoughts on halt when Penny began to pull on her sleeve.

"Can we go outside and play?" Her eyes were big and pleading.

Carmen pushed aside her bitter feelings brought upon by bitter thoughts and forced a smile, "Sure we can. What do you want to play?"

Penny smiled and bounced off the bed, "Hide and Seek!"

"Okay, Hide and Seek it is!" Carmen went down on her knees and began to tickle Penny. The tiny blonde let out a giddy shriek, "But, only if you can tell me the rules before we play."

Penny managed to stop giggling long enough to stand up straight. She tilted her chin up proudly, "Don't go into the woods, stay out of the cabins, don't go past the climbing wall and the strawberry fields, and don't go outside of the borders."

…

Carmen smoothed down her little sister's hair, "And the most important rule…?"

She flashed a toothy smile, "Stay out of the boys' bathroom!"

…

"Very good," she said while laughing. "Now, go and find a good hiding place!"

Penny bolted out the door, laughing the entire way, and Carmen felt herself smile as she began to count to 100.

…

…

…

…

…

_Okay, so, I had a sudden epiphany when I began writing this is that each character deserves their own chapter! :D Why favor some and give them their own and then make others share? Therefore, there will now be four parts. Part 3 will be Terry and Part 4 will be Nico. _

_This way, we can focus in more on one than having to divide our attention. _

_I hope you enjoyed it and if you feel the urge to review, let it take over! :D_

_Evermore, _

_ Fantasila_


	15. And So It Begins Part 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

***Guest #1 – **Don't worry, Zeke will get what's coming. ;)

***Xylia Ren – **Thanks!

***DangerIsNotMyMiddleName – **I actually have a certain direction for Carmen and Apollo's relationship, there are just events and some development that have to take place first.

***Cryanth – **I can definitely promise you we'll see more of Penny in later chapters and stories.

***Made-Of-Fantasy – **Thank you, I want all my readers to have at least one way to relate to a character.

***Guest #2 (unless you are the same person) – **Glad you like the story so much. :D

_I suppose you all deserve an explanation for why I haven't updated in forever…_

_Okay, about a week and a half ago, there was a really bad storm and I was just finishing up. Then the power went out and my computer had a meltdown. All my work on this chapter was lost and I had to start all over from the beginning. _

_You all have waited long enough for this and here it is._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Terry tossed his bouncy ball into the air and caught it when it came back down. He was bored out of his mind and, to top it all off, felt pathetic.<p>

His father and half-siblings were currently plotting up the first of many full-scale camp pranks. The opportunity to cause some trouble while all the gods were in one place was too good to pass up.

And this couldn't be some average prank; it had to be all out. It had to go down in history.

…

It had to be **awesome**.

…

"We could splatter paint all the cabins -"

"No way, we should move everyone's furniture to their roofs –"

"How old are you, six? What we need to do is take everyone's clothes and –"

"Oh, stop! That is already sounding stupid!"

"It is not!"

…

Terry sighed and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. This bickering had been going on non-stop for the past half-hour. Sure, he was used to arguing, considering just how many people resided in the Hermes Cabin…but this was just ridiculous.

Everyone was screaming at everybody, people were pointing and shouting random insults, **and** he would catch a curse every now and then.

…

Yup, it was all great fun.

…

The one thing that made the situation even more frustrating for Terry was that Hermes just _sat_ there watching the whole charade. Was he even going to try and calm down his children?

…Apparently not.

Thus, the yelling continued on. And with it, came more pitiful prank ideas.

Terry had actually come up with a few good pranks by himself, much better than what all the others had made so far. He was really anxious to actually try them and would love to include everyone…but he couldn't.

…

He desperately wanted to share his ideas and probably would, if he didn't have a certain problem…

Terry was somewhat shy.

It wasn't like he didn't talk to anyone at all; he just wasn't the kind of person to go up and start talking to you if he didn't know you very well. He didn't do so well with crowds either. The last time he tried speaking in public, Terry passed out.

…

That was why it looked like his siblings never talked to him, because he didn't talk to them.

…

And so, he continued to sit on his bed, voice silent but mind shouting with excitement. Terry wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his mouth shut; he'd never been good at **not** voicing his opinions (or keeping secrets). He had gotten better at holding his tongue, but considering the situation it was only a matter of time before he blurted something out.

That time came sooner than he wanted.

…

Someone made a really pathetic prank suggestion, so pathetic that Terry couldn't help but snicker. All the arguing stopped, the entire cabin fell silent, and everyone stared at their brother.

"What's so funny?" One of the younger kids questioned.

Terry felt his complexion pale, "Oh…um, nothing…it's just I…well…"

"C'mon, you can tell us." A chorus of agreements sounded at this statement and others began to urge him to keep going.

"Err," Terry scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable from all the attention he was getting, "I just suddenly came up with a really good idea…and it was so funny I couldn't help but laugh."

…

Everyone seemed to believe his lie and began to return to what they were originally doing. Terry closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief when –

"You did? Well, what are you doing still lying on that bed? Get over here and tell us what it is!"

He slowly opened his eyes and found his father smiling at him. Hermes had a strange look in his eye and Terry mentally slapped himself for being so stupid; if there was anyone who could see through a lie, it was his dad.

…

Terry slowly got up from his lounging position and trudged over to where the others were sitting.

"So, what is your grand idea?" One of his older sisters asked after he sat down.

He quickly ran through his list of pranks in his head, trying to pick out the best one. "First off, it's going to be big. So, I'm going to need everyone's help and we're going to be pretty busy." His siblings seemed genuinely interested now and Terry began to feel more relaxed, "Secondly, I want all of you to know we aren't going to get in trouble for this."

…

Murmurs and whispers of confusion floated about the room; even Hermes looked a bit perplexed.

"And last of all," Terry's voice was loud enough for everyone to quiet down, "don't tell **anyone** about this without my permission, letting people know could ruin the entire thing. Okay?"

People nodded their heads and Terry felt anticipation build up in his chest. This was actually going to happen, "Good, now before we start, I need you all to answer a very important question…."

Everyone looked at him expectantly and he raised one eyebrow and smiled.

…

"Who's the most incantational person you know?"

…

…

…

…

…

_Well, that's a wrap! Next time, we see just what Terry's master prank is and Nico and Celeste._

_If you can guess what his prank idea is, I'll let an original character of yours make a guest star appearance in a chapter._

_Bye for now,_

_Fantasila_


	16. Sorry

Okay, so, you all are about to really hate me.

I'm putting this story on hiatus.

I'm considering starting over completely, or just changing a few chapters. The thing is I'm seriously stumped and I'm just not as inspired for this story as I once was. I'm going to take the time to work on other stories in the meantime; one's that I have fully thought out.

I'm not abandoning Playing with Chaos, I wouldn't do that. Just don't expect any updates on it for a while.

I'm really, really, really, really, really, really sorry. But I don't want to force myself to do something and end up with poor results.


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